Last Updated: 2024.07.17

What is a Porcupine?

Large rodents who are covered in sharp quills found in North America, northern South America, southern Europe, western and southern Asia, and most of Africa.
Coat of quills that serve as a defense mechanism against predators
3rd largest rodent in the world behind the capybara and the beaver
Some of the longest-lives rodents on Earth, New World porcupines have been known to live almost 30 years.
Surprisingly good swimmers
Primarily herbivores (they eat plant materials as opposed to meat) and are mostly nocturnal.
Divided into two distinct families of animals; the Old World porcupines (family Hystricidae) which live in Europe, Asia, and Africa and the New World porcupines (family Erethizontidae) which live in the Americas.
They are separated into distinct families taxonomically because they do have distinct features that have evolved due to their different environments.

Two Families of Animal

Family	# of species	Range	Size	Quills
Old World
(family Hystricidae)	11	Italy, western and southern Asia, and most of Africa	Large	Attached in clusters. Larger (avg 8 inches long) and thicker, and barbless
New World
(family Erethizontidae)	15	All of North America and northern South America	Typically Smaller	Singly attached. Smaller, thinner, AND BARBED!!!!!

Old World vs. New World porcupines and their quills - for comparison

Quills are basically hairs hardened by a thick coat of keratin
- Like shaft of a feather
  - Hollow
    - Hard, shiny outside
    - Soft, pulpy inside
A single porcupine can have over 30,000 quills
Quills are used as a defense mechanism by the creature
- Do not "shoot" their quills like in the Looney Tunes cartoons
- Quills are released by contact or can be dropped by the animal shaking it’s body
Porcupines are born with quills
- Quills are soft at birth, they begin to harden hours after birth
- They gain full defensive strength with a few months
Loosely rooted in the muscle of the porcupine