North American Porcupine Images, Facts and Information:
Erethizon dorsatum
- The North American Porcupine is the second largest rodent in North America, after the North American beaver. It is a large, quill-covered rodent with a distinctive appearance.
- The North American Porcupine has a black to brown fur coat with white highlights. It has a small head, short legs, long claws, and its entire back is covered in needle-like quills, especially on the tail. A single porcupine may have up to 30,000 quills or more.
- North American Porcupines are found from northern Mexico to Alaska, with a widespread distribution throughout Canada and the western United States. It inhabits a diverse range of habitats, including deciduous forests, coniferous forests, woodlands, scrublands, grasslands, and even tundra.
- North American Porcupine are strictly herbivorous and depends on trees for their food. They eat tender twigs, shoots, buds, bark, seeds, and berries from a variety of trees. In the winter, they mostly eats bark and the needles of coniferous trees.
- North American Porcupines typically have one offspring at a time, although occasionally they may have twins. The young are called porcupettes. They are born with soft quills that harden within a few hours after birth.
- In the wild, North American Porcupines typically have a lifespan of about 5 to 7 years, although some individuals may live up to 10 years or more under optimal conditions.
I hope you enjoy viewing my North American Porcupine photos.
Mia McPherson
North American Porcupine on the shore of the Great Salt Lake
Title: North American Porcupine on the shore of the Great Salt Lake
Location: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah
Date: 9/5/2012
Mia McPherson
Close up of a North American Porcupine
Title: Close up of a North American Porcupine
Location: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah
Date: 9/5/2012
Mia McPherson
The Quill Pig ~ North American Porcupine
Title: The Quill Pig ~ North American Porcupine
Location: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah
Date: 9/5/2012
Mia McPherson
North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) in a tree
Title: North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) in a tree
Location: Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah
Date: 12/17/2011