Porcupine

The common porcupine is a solitary animal, although it has been known to den with other porcupines in the winter.
It makes its dens in decaying logs and hollow trees.

The common porcupine doesn't hibernate, but may stay in its den during real bad weather.

The porcupine is a good swimmer with its hollow quills that help keep it afloat. It is a very vocal animal that uses a wide-variety of calls including moans, grunts, coughs, wails, whines, shrieks and tooth clicking which we seldom will hear.

Look for them by day to be high in the trees. Porcupines look like a dark round ball about the size of a raccoon.

A porcupine may have up to as many as 30,000 quills which are actually hairs with barbed tips on the ends.
Quills are solid at the tip and base and hollow for most of the shaft.

The porcupine quills are on all parts of its body, except for the stomach area.
The longest quills are on its rump.
The shortest quills are on its cheeks.
They use these quills as the main defense system.

Only one predator the Fisher poses a significant threat to attack the porcupine.
These large weasels will wait for the right moment and inflict quick bites to the porcupine's face and nose, areas that can take little abuse before the injury is fatal.

Many hunting dogs have learn about porcupines the hard way that they should stay away from this little guy.
I feel sorry for this animal that had to learn the hard way, it must be in pain.

Native Americans have long used these quills in their traditional costumes for dance.

The common porcupine can be found in most areas of Canada and the western United States south to Mexico.

In the Eastern United States, it can be found in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York and New England.

Porcupines, like most rodents, are vegetarians.

Their winter diet consists of needles, buds and the bark of pines, hemlock, maples,oak and birch.
How they survive on foods with a protein content so low is truly amazing how they survive.

Porcupines are sloppy eaters who drop a lot of greenery that provides a welcome snack for white-tailed deer during winters deep snows.
If you see a small pile of freshly-snipped branches while on a winter walk, porcupines are nearby.

They travel the same paths every day.

Near their dens you'll probably see fecal piles and smell the strong scent of urine.

The common porcupine during summer months eats leaves, twigs and green plants like skunk cabbage and clover.

The common porcupine lives in the dense forests in the northern states. In the west, it can be found in scrubby areas.

They occasionally wander out of the woods near highways causing them to be struck by traffic.

Getting quality porcupine pictures can be difficult because of the areas in which they maintain their normal living place.

Porcupines mate in late summer and early fall.

Porcupines can be very vocal during mating season.
Males will often fight over females.

The male does an elaborate dance then sprays urine over the head of the female.

Seven months after mating the female gives birth one single baby.

When the baby porcupine is born, its quills are soft then harden about an hour after birth.

The baby porcupine will begin to forage for food on its own after only a couple of days.
The babies normally will stay with mother for about six months.