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-The adults grow up to about 30 inches in length and 6-10 inches in their tail. -Their weight is between 90-15 pounds, but some adults can weigh up to 20. The head contains a blunt muzzle, ears that are hidden in fur, and black eyes. -Their colors range from black to brownish-black with a yellow belly and white tipped hair. -The quills lie smoothly along its body till it feels threatened, causing them to rise. The porcupine turns it back to the enemy and tucks the head between the fronts of the legs while it chatters it teeth, its quills dislodging.
-During the mating season, which takes place in September, October, and into November, the porcupines are very vocal, meaning they will grunt, groan, shriek, bark and possibly wine. -Their calls may carry up to a quarter mile. When looking for someone to mate with, they will chatter their teeth, walk on their hind feet, and perform other weaving body movements. -They are not prolific reproducers, meaning they are not highly productive, like most rodents. -Biologists have estimated that half of all adult females are unmated each year, and they usually only produce when offspring when they do produce. -After a period of 205-217, the female will give birth around April, May or June which usually takes place in a ground den
When walking, it can move up to 2 mphs over short distances.
Young porcupines are called a “pup” or “porcupette”
The beaver is the only rodent that is bigger than the porcupine
Erethizon dorsatum
-Since they are vegetarians, the diet consists of needles, twigs, limbs of evergreens or hemlocks, the bark of trees including white pine, basswood, sugar maple, beech, birch, aspen, ash, and cherry. -During the spring, summer, and fall, they eat vegetation involving grass, flowers, leaves, twigs, roots, and seeds of other plants. -T'heir chewing damages telephone poles along with buildings made from wood and ornamental trees, in civilized areas. -They tend to gnaw on the remains of shedded deer antlers in the wild areas. They will also gnaw on objects that human perspiration have been in contact to, including axe handles, ropes, work gloves, and leather boots because they crave salt
Porcupine. 25 May 2009 .
Royo, A R. North American Porcupine. 28 May 2009
