Prickly

Prickly

Today we are meeting a prickly animal who is the 2nd largest rodent in North America. Any guesses who it is?  Well let’s find out!

North American Porcupine Fun Facts:

• Porcupine backs are covered in quills.
• They can not throw my quills, but if a predator like a wolf tries to attack they can release the quills.
• They have around 30,000 quills!
• Quills are made of keratin, the protein that make up human nails & hair.
• Porcupines are excellent climbers and swimmers.
• These herbivores eat a variety of plants, bark, berries and roots.
• When porcupines are born their quills are soft. They grow harder in just a few days.
• These nocturnal creatures also give off a strong odor to deter predators.
• Porcupines have a natural antibiotic in their skin to help protect them if they fall and accidentally poke themselves with their quills.

There are old world (Asia, Africa & Europe) porcupines and new world (the Americas) porcupines. All have those famous quills.