Their diet changes seasonally. In the winter, they primarily eat evergreen needles and the inner bark of trees, often feeding heavily on a single tree causing damage or death to the tree.
In the spring and summer, porcupines shift to eating berries, seeds, grasses, leaves, roots and stems. At the Smithsonian's National Zoo, the porcupines eat herbivore pellets and a variety of fruits, vegetables and greens. Their favorite food item is corn on the cob. They also get browse several days a week and chew on the tree bark in their exhibit.
Breeding season is fall and early winter. They conduct an elaborate courtship involving extensive vocalizations, a courtship dance, and the male usually showers the female with urine before mating. Gestation lasts to days. There is generally one porcupette per litter—twins are rare.
While not threatened, hunting by humans has caused populations to decline. Porcupines are targeted by the timber and agriculture industry due to certain destructive behaviors.
It grows up to 36 inches 90 centimeters long. The smallest is the Bahia hairy dwarf porcupine. It grows up to 15 inches 38 cm long. Porcupines weigh 2. The length of quills varies by type. New World porcupines have small quills that are around 4 inches 10 cm long, while Old World porcupines have quills that can grow up to 20 inches 51 cm long, though there are some exceptions.
In general, porcupines live in just about any terrain, including deserts, grasslands, mountains, rainforests and forests. Dens in tree branches or tangles of roots, rock crevices, brush or logs are the porcupine's home. Porcupines are nocturnal, which means they are active during the night and sleep during the day. During the night, they forage for food. New World porcupines spend their time in the trees, while Old World porcupines stay on the ground. Type: Mammals.
Diet: Herbivore. Group Name: Family. Size: Head and body: 25 to 36 inches; tail: 8 to 10 inches. Weight: 12 to 35 pounds. Size relative to a teacup:. This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo.
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In the Great Basin, near extinction of a population of porcupines was discovered to be a direct result of increased mountain lion predation. Increased predation may have been a result of low mule deer populations in the area.
Increased predation on porcupines can also be a consequence of predator shifting when snowshoe hare numbers decline. Increased stress from natural predators signifies the fragile dynamics between porcupines and their environment. Historical studies have indicated a very cyclical fluctuation in populations of porcupines. Keith and Cary, ; Sweitzer, et al. In northern Michigan, Fishers Martes pennanti were reintroduced to limit the porcupine population growth and nearly eliminated the species from the area.
Limited den sites standing hollow snags , brought about by logging practices, increased porcupine exposure to fishers. In the northeast, where hemlock plays a major role in porcupine winter foraging, pests such as the hemlock wooly adelgid, Adelges tsugae , along with increased hemlock logging may pose problems for future porcupine habitat.
Porcupines of the Rocky Mountains share the habitat of wood ticks. Wood ticks, Dermacentor andersoni , are the host of Colorado Tick Fever virus. It is unlikely that porcupines spread this virus, since only adult ticks attach to porcupines. Adult ticks do not spread the virus. Porcupines still play a significant role in the life cycle of these ticks, and infestation may be severe. In one study, 18 porcupines yielded a total of ticks.
McLean, et al. Porcupines sometimes creat stresses on other species, especially plants. In Texas, where they feed largely upon the bark of pinyon pines, it has been suggested that the trees have been made more vulnerable to the infestation of bark beetles. Ilse and Hellgren, ; Roze, Porcupines can be an important prey species, and populations of porcupines can be stressed by predators. In the Great Basin, one population of porcupines nearly became extinct because of increased mountain lion predation.
Increased predation on porcupines may occur when other prey species, such as mule deer and rabbits, decrease in numbers. Historical studies indicate a cyclical fluctuation in porcupine populations, inidcating that they exist in a fragile balance in their ecosystems. Keith and Cary, ; Sweitzer and Berger, In other areas, predators can also have a big impact on porcupine populations.
Fishers, Martes pennanti , were reintroduced in Northern Michigan in order to limit the porcupine population growth. The plan was overly successful, and nearly eliminated porcupines from the area. In the northeast, where hemlock plays a major role in porcupine winter foraging, pests that affect the hemlock trees can affect porcupine populations. Pest such as hemlock wooly adelgids, Adelges tsugae , along with increased hemlock logging may pose problems for future porcupine habitat.
Porcupines have two areas of conflict with humans. Their salt cravings often lead them to chew on housing structures, automobiles, and anything made of plywood or with salt residue usually from road de-icing salt.
They also have a negative impact on the timber industry. Trees that have been fed on by porcupines tend to have stunted growth and twisted evil looking crowns, usually making the tree unsuitable for use as lumber. Porcupines were once revered by Native American cultures throughout the continent as a food source, a source of quills for decoration, and legendary status.
Today, however, they are mostly considered a pest. Bounties, large poisoning efforts and unregulated killing have only recently been discontinued. Felicetti, L. Shipley, G. Witmer, C. Digestibility, nitrogen excretion, and mean retention time by North American porcupines Erithizon dorsatum consuming natural forages. Fournier, F. Nitrogen and energy requirements of the North American porcupine. Griesemer, S.
Denning pattern of porcupines, Erithizon dorsatum. Fuller, R. Habitat use by porcupines Erethizon dorsatum in central Massachusetts: effects of topography and forest composition. Ilse, L. Demographic and behavioral characteristics of North American porcupines Erethizon dorsatum in pinyon-juniper woodlands of Texas.
Keith, L. Mustelid, squirrel, and porcupine population trends during a snowshoe hare cycle. Kurta, A. Mammals of the Great Lakes Region. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. McLean, R. Carey, L. Kirk, D. Morin, P.
Roze, U. The North American Porcupine. Washington, D. A facilitated release mechanism for quills of the North American porcupine Erethizon dorsatum.
Silva, M. CRC handbook of mammalian body masses. Snyder, M. Porcupine feeding patterns: Selectivity by a generalist herbivore?. Canadian Journal of Zoology , Sweitzer, R. Breeding movements and reproductive activities of porcupines in the Great Basin Desert. Evidence for female-biased dispersal in North American pocupines Erithizon dorsatum.
Jounal of Zoology , Jenkins, J.
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