Animal Gallery
North American Porcupine |
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North American Porcupines are solitary animals, although they may den with other Porcupines in the winter. They can make their dens in caves, decaying logs, and hollow trees. They do not hibernate, but will stay in their den during severe winter weather.
These animals are primarily nocturnal, but can sometimes be spotted during the day. They are good swimmers as their hollow quills keep them afloat, and they are excellent climbers and spend much of their time in trees. Baby Porcupines are born with soft quills that harden within a few hours. The baby will forage for food on its own within a few days and stay with its mother for 6 months. Porcupines use their quills for defense and when attacked the Porcupine will hit the predator with its tail, leaving dozens of quills embedded in the attacker. |
Did you know?
The quills of a Porcupine are stiff, barbed hairs and they can have as many as 30,000 of them on all parts of their body except their stomach. At the Zoo -
We have two North American Porcupines, a male called Birch, and a female called Raspberry. |
