A Prickly Camper

A Prickly Camper

We are meeting our first animal friend at Lake Salamander Camp E&E! She’s a prickly lady, but very friendly! Come meet the Penny, the North American Porcupine!

• Porcupines can grow up to 3ft long and weigh up to 40lbs.
  
• They are herbivores. They eat twigs, berries and roots.
• North American porcupines can be found in Western Canada, the Western US to Northern Mexico.
• Porcupines are excellent climbers.
  
• North American porcupines have antibiotics in their skin that protects them from their own quills if they fall out of tree. They are the only porcupine that has this adaptation.
  
• They have around 30,000 quills.

• The quills are barbed and hollow.
• They can not throw their quills- but they can be released.
  
• Porcupines have a strong musky odor to help protect them from predators.
  
• Their name means “quill pig” in Latin. They are not related to pigs though- they are rodents.
  
• Porcupines are nocturnal.
• Porcupines are good swimmers.
  
• They are very vocals and make a variety of sounds.
• When a baby porcupine is born their quills are soft & they harden after about an hour.
  

Porcupines are funny creatures! We don’t recommend scaring one for sure! They like to be left alone and we like to be nice to them! Also- don’t share your sleeping bag with a porcupine! Hehehe!