How do porcupines protect themselves

Some even have prehensile gripping tails to aid in climbing. The North American porcupine is the only species that lives in the U. A single animal may have 30, or more quills. North American porcupines use their large front teeth to satisfy a healthy appetite for wood. They eat natural bark and stems, and have been known to invade campgrounds and chew on canoe paddles. North American porcupines also eat fruit, leaves, and springtime buds. Other porcupine species live in Africa, Europe, and Asia.

These animals usually live on the ground and can inhabit deserts, grasslands, and forests. Female porcupines have between one and four young, depending on the species. Babies have soft quills at birth, which harden within a few days. Most young porcupines are ready to live on their own at about two months of age. All rights reserved. Common Name: Porcupines. Scientific Name: Hystricidae, Erethizontidae.

They get stuck easily, but they are notably very difficult to remove. Can you guess why? A group of scientists studied this phenomenon and found that the tip of each quill has a tiny rear-facing spike , meaning that the quills easily penetrate the surface but are hard to remove because of their hook shape. When a porcupine feels threatened, it coils up on its belly and lets its quills bristle and protrude outwards.

This is indeed a porcupine's best defense mechanism - when the spines penetrate the skin of another animal they are not only very painful. As the animal pulls to remove the quill, the wound can easily cause all sorts of infections. In addition, when the porcupine adopts this position, it also moves its body and shakes it purposefully, allowing the quills to rattle against each other and making a menacing metallic sound.

Their defense can fail against a determined predator that continues harassing the porcupine until it is exhausted. Lions, leopards, and caracals will hassle a porcupine till it is too exhausted to fight back anymore. They stand little chance against more than one attacker because they can only keep its quills aimed at one of them at a time. The male mounts upright behind her, supporting himself with his paws gripping the tail for balance.

Porcupines in Africa mates between May and December. The gestation period is 94 days. Most births occurs from August with a peak in January. These are one of the very few mammals that have sex on a frequent basis outside the female's fertile period. One baby is born at a time. It is suckled for three months', and eats its first solid in about a month. The quill will release from the porcupine's body and stay attached to the attacker.

This will cause a tremendous amount of pain to the attacker causing it to be distracted. As the attacker attempts to remove the quills even more pain will be felt. In all of this distraction, the porcupine will escape the attacker and the attacker will have learned a painful lesson.

How do porcupines defend themselves? Biology Animals Animal Defense. John P.