Species account by Olivia Sena, of University of Vermont. All photos credited to Sky Island Alliance.
The common porcupine is a peculiar yet endearing rodent species of the Sky Islands region. Commonly known to inhabit deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests in the Northeast and Canada, they can also be found in dry, scrubby areas with trees scattered throughout in the West. The Sky Islands region is therefore a textbook example of the Western porcupine habitat.
These large rodents have chunky bodies with a rounded back and short legs. In the East, they range from black to brown, but in the West, they are more yellowish. They have long guard hairs on the front of their body and up to 30,000 pointy quills on the rump and tail. Their feet point toe-in and the claw marks are far ahead of the main footprints, making for a distinctive track. These solitary creatures are primarily nocturnal, choosing to spend the daytime resting in a hollow tree, log, burrow, or treetop (they are agile but slow climbers). As strict vegetarians, they eat mostly leaves, twigs, and greens in the spring and summer, but in the winter they will eat the inner bark (cambium) of trees such as pines, fir, and hemlock. One unique sign of common porcupines are the “niptwigs” they leave behind under their favorite trees. These are terminal branches of trees that porcupines have bitten off and then eaten the leaves and buds.
Perhaps the most interesting behavior of the porcupine is its defense technique. The word “porcupine” means “one who rises in anger” which refers to the way it will raise its quills when threatened. It’s not an inherently aggressive animal, but when forced to fight it will erect its quills and lash out with its tail. If the tail hits the victim, the quills lodge forcefully into its flesh and the microscopic barbs at the end of the quill expand with the victim’s body heat. This is a last-resort action, however, as porcupines will warn their enemies by showing their black and white coloration or making teeth-chittering noises. Porcupines are highly valued by certain indigenous peoples who use the quills in their artwork and eat the animal’s flesh.