10 Interesting Porcupine Facts

Another unique animal to learn is seen in porcupine facts. This is a large rodent. When porcupines feel threatened by other animals, they will act like hedgehogs. If you want to know the diet, behavior, mating behavior and appearance of porcupines, look at the whole facts below:

Porcupine Facts 1: Physical Appearance

Now let’s talk about the physical appearance of porcupines. The coat of the animals is filled with quills and sharp spines. When they want to eat the prey or feel threatened, the spikes will stand up as protection and to warn the predators. Find hedgehog facts here.

Porcupine Facts 2: Common Species

The most common species of porcupines is Hysteria crispate. It can be found living in Asia and Europe. The main characteristics of this species are on the quill and spines. They can grow in the length of 1 foot.

Porcupine Facts

Porcupine Facts 3: The Short Spines

Porcupines which have shorter spines compared to Hystrix cristata include Canada porcupine/ Erethizon dorsatus or American species/ Erethizon. They can be seen living in arboreal habitat. Read animal facts here.

Porcupine Facts 4: Baby Porcupine

When the baby porcupines are born, the quills are soft. Within an hour, they are hardened. The word porcupine has a meaning of one who rises up in anger.

Porcupine in Snow

Porcupine Facts 5: North American Porcupines

North American porcupines have different characteristics compared to any other types of porcupines. The animals have the coat in black or brown. It is shaggy and long. The spines are sort. When the spines and quills are embedded, they are very difficult to eliminate. They are fitted with tiny overlapping barbs.

Porcupine Facts 6: Weight and Length

The length of porcupines is around 25 to 36 inches. The weight is around 2.2 to 40 lb. The length of the tail is measured around 6 to 12 inches. They can be seen living in burrows and forest. They can live for about 18 years.

Porcupine on Land

Porcupine Facts 7: Swimming

Even though most porcupines live on land, they have a good capability to swim on the water. Thanks’ to presence of quills served as the buoyant and hollow. The body of porcupines is mainly covered with 30,000 spiny quills.

Porcupine Facts 8:  Diet

Porcupines are included as an herbivorous animal. They like eating tree leaves, salt rich plants, ferns and grasses.

Porcupine on Water

Porcupine Facts 9: Name

Many people call porcupines as a quill pig. The male porcupines are called as boar; while female ones are sow. call the baby as piglet or pup. The collective group of porcupines is array.

Porcupine Facts 10: Baby Porcupine

It seems that the male porcupines are very responsible with the baby porcupine. They often help the female porcupines to look after the young baby.

porcupine

The conservation status of Philippine porcupines is vulnerable, while other types of porcupines are stated in the least concert status. Do you want to give opinion on facts about porcupines?