Habitat

Porcupines occupy a short range of habitats in tropical and temperate parts of Asia, Southern Europe, Africa, and North and South America. Porcupines live in forests, deserts, rocky outcrops and hillsides. Some New World porcupines live in trees, but Old World porcupines stay on the rocks. Porcupines can be found on rocky areas up to 3,700 m (12,100 ft) high. Porcupines are generally nocturnal but are occasionally active during daylight.Porcupines live all over the world. The American porcupine lives in the grasslands and forests of Canada, throughout the United States and in northern Mexico.Porcupines sleep during the day in their dens. These are in a variety of places including hollow logs, caves, trees, and old buildings. Porcupines are solitary animals and travel alone.Porcupines eat seeds, fruit, leaves, grasses, dandelions, twigs and aquatic plants in the summer. A porcupine can climb trees that are 60 to 70 feet high to reach the young leaves. During the winter they eat twigs, leaves, bark, and pine needles.   Porcupines like maple, birch, beech, oak, cherry, willow, pine and fir. They crave salt and will eat the handles of tools that has been seasoned with human sweat.Porcupines are slow moving. They are peaceful animals and will not attack unless an animal approaches them. The porcupine will defend itself by raising its quills on its back and sides. They sling their six-inch long tails which are also covered with quills. The quills are not poisonous, but will cause an infection if they are not removed. Humans can remove them with pliers. Animals will use their teeth. Once the quills imbed themselves in an animal, the heat of that animal will drive the quills deeper into the flesh.The main enemies of the porcupine are the fisher, great horned owl, coyote, and wolf.

source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porcupine