North American Porcupine: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Little Mammals · day 1 of 7

Five facts

1. An adult wears about 30,000 quills, which are really stiff, hollow hairs. Despite the old myth, a porcupine cannot throw them.
2. Tempted by juicy buds at branch tips, porcupines often fall out of trees. Their quills carry a natural coating that helps stop infection.
3. Before using its quills, it warns enemies with a strong smell, likened to goats or some cheeses. It also flashes a white stripe and clacks its teeth.
4. This slow, short-sighted animal is a maze champion: it can learn complex mazes and remember them for as long as a hundred days.
5. Porcupines adore salt. Hikers who leave salty boots outside the tent overnight may find a porcupine has been munching on them.

The quiz

1. About how many quills does an adult porcupine have?

• About 300
• About 30,000 (correct)
• About 3 million
• About 30

An adult carries about 30,000 quills over most of its body.

2. What helps a porcupine that falls onto its own quills?

• Its quills are as soft as fur
• It never falls from trees
• Its skin is covered in a hard shell
• A natural coating on the quills that fights infection (correct)

The quills' fatty coating has antibiotic properties that help prevent infection.

3. Which warning sound does an alarmed porcupine make?

• It roars like a lion
• It barks like a dog
• It clacks its teeth (correct)
• It sings a whistled tune

A threatened porcupine clacks its teeth as a warning.

4. How long can a porcupine remember a maze it has learned?

• As long as a hundred days (correct)
• About ten seconds
• One hour
• It cannot learn mazes

It can remember complex mazes as much as a hundred days later.

5. Why do porcupines chew hikers' boots left outside at night?

• They line their dens with leather
• They sharpen their quills on them
• They love the salt on them (correct)
• They hunt insects hiding inside

Porcupines are famous among hikers for their love of salt.

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