North American porcupine

The North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) is a large, herbivorous rodent found in North America. It is known for its distinctive quills, which are modified hairs used for defense. These quills, numbering over 30,000, are hollow and barbed, detaching easily when an attacker makes contact and embedding in the skin.

Porcupines are active from dusk till dawn and inhabit forests, woodlands, and even desert regions. Their diet consists of bark, leaves, buds, roots, flowers, berries, and seeds. In winter, they rely on evergreen needles and the inner bark of trees. While they can climb trees with excellent balance, they move slowly on the ground and cannot jump. When threatened, they present their rear and can use their tail to drive quills into an assailant. Predators like fishers, bobcats, and wolverines can still prey on them by attacking their underside. Quills do grow back after being shed.123