I didn’t name the porcupine a “quill pig”. The Latin name for porcupine means “quill pig”. That’s quite a title for this animal. When we were out for a drive, we saw this porcupine at the side of the road. It was eating some small branches which is part of its regular diet of bark and stems. They also eat leaves, fruit, and the buds that come in the spring.
They have quills that are sharp like a needle. This is their protection from any predators. They have around 30,000 or more quills. When they lose a quill because something or someone touched it, they grow another quill to replace it.
Under the quills is soft hair, but I wouldn’t recommend petting them.
They have very large front teeth. I wasn’t expecting that when I looked at it. It doesn’t have an especially attractive face, in my opinion. I’m sure other porcupines find it attractive though.
They are good climbers and spend a lot of their time in trees. You can see the long claws in this picture and in the one at the end of this article.
He finally got tired of me and turned his back on me and ambled away.
