Amazing Animal Facts: Porcupines

Porcupines are awesome. I was saw one in the wild when I was on a hike, and I was surprised at how large it was! But the one thing I was unsure about was whether a wild porcupine was dangerous. Here are some interesting facts about porcupines!

• Baby porcupines are called porcupettes. They are born with soft quills which turn hard within hours of delivery.
• Quills that are lost during defense will grow back.
• The quills are a voluntary muscle - they can lay on their back but are activated as a defense mechanism.
• They are nocturnal, have weak eyesight, and rely entirely on their nose for food!
• They are the third largest rodent in the world!
• Their quills are self-medicated with a topical antibiotic. A porcupine attack with thus not necessarily lead to an infection. This is done to prevent the porcupine from accidentally being self-quilled.
• They are not aggressive unless they feel threatened.

Aren't porcupettes cute?

 

This is definitely what I saw on my hike!