Porcupine
Families Erethizontidae and Hystricidae · Mammal, rodent
From the Capy Learning Corner encyclopedia
- Native range
- New World porcupines live from Canada to South America; Old World porcupines across Africa, Asia, and southern Europe.
- Size
- From 10 pounds to more than 50 in the largest African species.
- Lifespan
- Commonly into their late teens or twenties in professional care.
- Conservation
- The most widespread species are of Least Concern.
Little Learners Corner
A baby porcupine is called a porcupette, and porcupines cannot shoot their quills, no matter what cartoons say.
Say it like a scientist: air-eh-thih-ZON-tih-dee
Where They Live
North American porcupines are surprisingly good climbers that spend winters in trees; African crested porcupines are ground dwellers that shelter in burrows.
What They Eat
Herbivore. Bark, leaves, roots, fruit, and a famous appetite for anything salty.
How They Live
Slow, near sighted, and utterly unbothered, because 30,000 quills buy a lot of calm. Quills are loosely rooted hairs that detach on contact; porcupines cannot shoot them, no matter what the cartoons say.
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Porcupines as Pets?
A porcupine is a chewing machine wrapped in medical hazards. In expert hands they are gentle, food motivated, and weirdly charming, which is exactly where to enjoy them.
Fun Facts
Porcupine quills carry a mild antibiotic coating, likely protection for the porcupine against its own accidental pokes.
North American porcupines are strong swimmers; hollow quills add buoyancy.
Baby porcupines, called porcupettes, are born with soft quills that harden within days.
Capy Quiz: Prove It
Can a porcupine shoot its quills?
Keep exploring: Otter came before this, Bearded Dragon is next, or head back to the full Animal Encyclopedia.
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