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Porcupines
Porcupines are large, spine covered rodents that like a diet high in salt. Those in the Americas sometimes choose to live in trees, even though their distant relatives in Africa, Europe, and Asia prefer more grounded lifestyles. In the Order: rodent and Class: Rodentia, they need to gnaw constantly. Typical questions relate to the porcupine's uses of its quills, survival threats, preferred foods, interactions with people and wildlife, geographic ranges, and defensive behaviors.
741 Questions
Porcupines bowels are well known to burst if a porcupine doesn't let his poop out which results in a dead porcupine. So basically, they poop to save their own lives
Can a hedge hog stick the quills in your hand?
No they can't, my daughter saw one at a pet show and touched the quills. She said they cannot hurt you.
The African crested porcupine, the largest terrestrial rodent in Europe and Africa, may weigh 60 pounds.
What is a threat to humans by porcupine?
Porcupines don't really attack. They generally only try to get away. Sometimes, if a human stumbles across them or messes with them, they can end up with quills stuck in them.
How does the porcupine protect himself?
A porcupine's entire body, with the exception of the belly and legs, is covered with sharp quills. The porcupine's quills, which are actually hardened, barbed hairs, are its primary source of protection. Porcupines cannot "throw" their quills as is popularly thought. They can, however, slap their quilled tail with lightning speed in the direction of an attacker. If a predator comes too close, it is likely to get a nose or mouth full of sharp quills that will work deeper and deeper into the flesh, causing a nasty infection and in extreme cases, possible death. A single porcupine may have upwards of 30,000 quills, more than 100 per square inch. Native Americans once used the quills as needles, and as ornaments on clothing. They were also used in the making of Native American warriors' breastplates. Porcupines are amazing climbers. They have been sighted over 60 feet up in the tops of trees, particularly cottonwoods, and these animals are extremely agile. Porcupines are herbivorous, feeding on bark and twigs, and prefer to eat softwoods, such as pine, elm and poplar. These rodents love salt and will seek it out. This craving leads them to eat such things as succulent plants, saddle leather, and the occasional shovel handle. In some areas, the porcupine's love for salt can get it into trouble. They will eat just about anything with a salty taste, including rose bushes, lily pads, garden produce and even car tires. Porcupines have been known to eat gardening equipment, wood siding on homes and yard furniture. Even when feeding only on trees, porcupines can cause problems. They can strip so much bark off the tree that it dies. There are some products that can discourage porcupines from literally eating you out of house and home. Most of these are liquid sprays that taste terrible to the porcupine. Another option for controlling problem porcupines is trapping and relocation. In northern climates, a natural predator of the porcupine, the fisher, is sometimes introduced into an area to control porcupine populations. Fishers are a type of weasel and are about the size of a large house cat. Other predators of the porcupine include the bobcat, and where found, the timber wolf, and wolverine. These animals are quick, and are able to flip the porcupine onto to its back in order to expose it's soft, unprotected belly. In Oklahoma, only the bobcat, and occasionally the coyote, are natural predators of the porcupine. Porcupines mate in the fall and give birth about 112 days later in the spring. They usually have only one offspring, called a porcupette, and twins are rare. The porcupine's quills are soft at birth and harden within their first hour of existence. They can eat solid food in about two weeks. Unlike their stoic parents, porcupettes are quite playful.
What size are porcupine puffer fish baby's when they were born?
i was ganna do a poetry about a puffer fish and i made this i like puffer fish because there are also born in 2002 like me
How do butterflies help the world?
Butterflies are important in the rainforest because they help to move pollen from place to place. This allows many different kinds of plants to be fertilized, insuring a new generation of plants.
The Dall's Porpoise is the longest and heaviest and the Vaquita is the smallest
Is it smart to have a porcupine as a pet?
Yes! They make awesome pets, all you have to do is when you first get them put a piece of clothing in their cage to get them used to your scent. If they are bad you can put some rubbing alcohol on their nose and they will stop right away!
Why does your throat bleed when you throw up?
Your throat should not bleed when you throw up unless of course you throw up A LOT. If you have bloody vomit, you should see a doctor as this could be very serious. If on the other hand you are throwing up so often as to irritate the lining of your throat then you should see a doctor about that as well. I wish you luck.
How large is the average adult porcupine?
Porcupines grow to be 25 to 36-inches long with an 8 to 10-inch tail. Porcupines weigh up to 35-pounds when adults. Porcupines live on a diet of leaves, herbs, and green plants. North American porcupines climb trees to forage for good, while African porcupines remain on the ground.
Is a crested porcupine a predator?
Yes, porcupines are primary consumers. They eat only plant matter.
A porcupine is a mammal with sharp needles for defense. It is a herbivore and lives in the smuggy parts of North America. All porcupines also have the ability to float in water.
What does a porcupine enemies?
Porcupines protect themselves with the spiny quills on their backs, and are members of the rodent family. Their enemies are coyotes and cougars.
It lives in saltwater...it can't survive freshwater.
What behaviors does a porcupine have to help it survive?
The spines help a porcupine to survive as it makes it difficult for another animal to eat it or attack it
What is the porcupine's competition?
Other porcupines in order to live. This competition caused by overpopulation, causes the population to decrease which as the result kills the porcupines. The porcupine competes with other porcupines for for food, water, and other limiting factors.
Do porcupines have pointed ears?
No. No they do not. Not only are their physical features very distinct, but their scents are entirely different.
To begin with, porcupines have a coat of sharp spines, or quills that set them apart from all other animals. Obviously, beavers do not carry this trait. Beavers have webbed feet and a long, wide tail. The tail of the porcupine is neither long or wide and porcupine's feet are not webbed. Next, beavers are the second largest rodent. Porcupines are the third largest rodent. This means that beavers are larger then porcupines. As you can see, beavers are completely different animals and have no true resemblance whatsoever. Sorry to all of those out there who thought they resembled each other.
Also, please note that just because these animals might be related, does not mean they look alike.
Oh, and just because you draw spikes on a beaver, does not mean it actually looks like a porcupine. You could probably draw spikes on a toaster and make it look like a porcupine.
Which animals would survive a flood?
Ralph Helfer was one of the premier animal behaviorists in America in the 1960's and 70's, and had property in Southern California that became a nature refuge. In 1969, there was a series of torrential downpours that contributed to flooding in the area, and nine of Helfer's 1500 animals were lost.
