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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
Can porcupines shoot their quills at people?
no, that is a myth.
The quills are very loosely attached to the skin, so the slightest touch will make them come off the porcupine and stick into you.
Which animal would have low reproductive potential?
Elephants can often only have one baby once every four years. When they do get pregnant, they go through a gestation period of about 22 months long, followed by the offspring nursing from their mother for another two years after birth.
How do Porcupines prepare for Winter?
winter, are different in structure and location.Pre-winter dens are usually near favoriteroosting or feeding areas and consist primarilyof hollow trees. Winter dens are generally rockcrevices in steep-sloped areas and located awayfrom their preferred roosting or feeding sites. Astring of below freezing temperature daysstimulates porcupines to enter a permanentden. Where rock crevices are used for dens,porcupines commonly come out to feed atnight.Although porcupines prefer rock crevices forwinter dens, if these are not available, caves,live hollow trees, hollow logs, human outbuildings,and thickly branched crowns of evergreensare suitable substitutes. Den use by porcupinesis not mandatory, and some animals remainoutside all year. This is especially true in areaswhere evergreens are abundant and no suitablerock crevices are available. Hemlock, Douglasfir, white spruce, yellow pine, and white fir arefavorite trees for winter survival. In addition toproviding shelter, these conifer trees alsoprovide a convenient food source.Porcupines do not use bedding or nesting materialin the den but, instead, prefer a dry floor devoid ofleaves and debris. Large accumulations of fecesoccur since dens are used year after year. In moist,temperate climates, feces are decomposed by mites;however, in dry, arid climates, accumulated fecesform into an extremely hard concrete-like mass.Two factors influence springtime exit from aden: a series of days where temperatures areabove freezing and decreased snow pack. Inareas of deep, fluffy snow where travel isdifficult, porcupines leave den sites only whensnow pack diminishes.Porcupines are nocturnal animals and active allyear. However, much time is spent resting intrees called "rest trees." Use of a den or rest treeis evident by the presence of broken quills,recent scats, and the pungent odor of urine.Rest trees are a critical component of theirhabitat, even during adverse winter weather
Is a hedgehog more closely related to a porcupine or a mole?
No, they are not related to Porcupines, which are rodents. Hedgheogs are most closely related to shrews, and yes, more distantly, moles.
Does porcupine take care of its young?
Yes they do. Young Porcupine's are extremely vulnerable to everything. They are mammals and produce milk for the young. However like all species there are rogue mothers how abandon there young.
Squirrles eat nuts and store them in the stomach and keep the food while hibernating. not only squirrels but also all other hibernating animals will eat lots of their common diet to store fat to use up during the long winter
Why are porcupines quills so hard to remove?
Porcupines have needles to protect themselves. Predators do not want to be stuck with the needles so they avoid hunting and eat this animal.
Why do porcupines like to eat salt?
Porcupines are vegetarian animals and do not receive enough potassium through their regular diet. They look for additional sources of salt to maintain proper levels of potassium in their blood cells.
poor thing is hungry, try offering a different food source away from your home.
What things do animals need to live in the tundra?
animals-
polar bears
seals
artic foxes
artic hares
plants
reindeer mossess
small shrubs
that's what i can think of right now so :)
Do porcupines poke each other while mating?
They reproduce sexually. They roll into a ball together belly to belly so they won't stick each other with their quills. I saw it on TV one day.
What are the 23 different species of porcupines?
Amarican,African,Asian,Eroup,forest and jungle porcupines
No, but porcupine quills are dirty and carry bacteria and fungi. A poke by a porcupine quill could start an infection in an animal, including a human.
Why are porcupines quills important?
They provide the porcupine with it's primary means of defense against predation .
Porcupines like salt and they often like to chew on canoe paddles, wooden tool handles, and plywood as well. They like the paddles and tool handles because of the salt that is there from human sweat. They like the plywood and other woods because of the glue used. Tree bark is a part of their diet.
Where can porcupines be found in Australia?
There are no porcupines in Australia; hence, they are simply called porcupines.
Australia has its own unique species of egg-laying mamal (monotreme) called an echidna. The echidna has spines, but apart from that, it bears no resemblance to the porcupine whatsoever.
What are the spikes on porcupines called?
These are called quills. They come loose and get stuck in the skin of animals that they come in contact with.
