Photo copyright ©Michael Quinton/Minden Pictures
Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)
Willow buds make a tasty meal for a porcupine—especially after a long winter of eating nothing but spruce needles and the inner bark of spruce and birch! Porcupines live mostly in trees. Their long sharp claws help grip the trees. Their nubby-soled feet keep them from slipping as they climb. And they use stiff bristle-like hairs on the underside of their tails to brace themselves while climbing.
Through the hair on the shoulder of this porcupine you can see the quills that make porcupines famous. A single animal may have as many as 30,000 of these hard, barb-tipped, modified hairs covering its back, sides, and the top side of its tail. A predator that touches the quills will discover that they easily pull out of a porcupine—but are very difficult to get out of a paw or a face!
To find out more about porcupines, check out these and other websites:
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