Meet Penny

Meet Penny

Hi campers! We are meeting one of our favorite residents of the woods here at Lake Salamander, Penny the Porcupine! She hangs out with us around the campfire at night! She’s great at roasting load of marshmallows at once.

Hi Penny! We are so glad you have joined us at camp this year! Can you tell all the campers a little bit about yourself!

I’m happy to tell you all about porcupines!

• We porcupines are rodents! That’s right, I’m related to squirrels and mice.
• My back is covered in quills. I can not throw my quills, but if a predator like a wolf tries to attack me- I can release my quills.
• I have around 30,000 quills!
• My quills are made of keratin, the protein that make up human nails & hair.
• I am a good climber and a good swimmer.
• I like to eat a variety of plants, bark, berries and roots.
• When I was a baby, I was called a porcupette! When we are born our quills are soft. They grow harder in just a few days.

Wow! You porcupines sure are neat! We just love your quills, especially that they are good for roasting marshmallows- hehehe! Thanks for coming!