Behavior / characteristics
Behavior
The common porcupine is a solitary animal, although it may den with
other porcupines in the winter. It makes its den in caves, decaying logs
and hollow trees. The common porcupine doesn't hibernate, but it may
stay in its den during bad weather. The common porcupine is a good
swimmer, its hollow quills help keep it afloat. It is also an excellent
tree-climber and spends much of its time in trees. It is a very vocal
animal and has a wide-variety of calls including moans, grunts, coughs,
wails, whines, shrieks and tooth clicking.
Characteristics
The porcupine is a rodent.The porcupine uses its quills for defense. The porcupine cannot shoot
its quills. When a predator approaches, the porcupine will turn its
back, raise the quills and lash out at the threat with its tail. If the
porcupine hits an animal with its quills, the quills become embedded in
the animal. Body heat makes the barbs expand and they become even more
deeply embedded in the animal's skin. If an animal is hit in a vital
place it may die. The porcupine is not an aggressive animal. It will
only attack if it is threatened. Some animals, like the fisher, are
experts at attacking porcupines It has black to brownish-yellow fur and
strong, short legs. It has hairless soles on its feet that help it climb
trees. It has a round body, small ears and a small head. The most
recognizable feature of the porcupine is its quills. A porcupine may
have as many as 30,000 quills. The quills are hairs with barbed tips on
the ends. Quills are solid at the tip and base and hollow for most of
the shaft. The porcupine has quills on all parts of its body, except for
its stomach. The longest quills are on its rump. The shortest quills
are on its cheeks.
source:
http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/porcupine.htm
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