Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Make a sustaining gift today to support local journalism!

Something Wild: Porcupines Aren't As Prickly As You Thought

Porcupines are nearly Untouchable

The porcupine’s only real predator is the fisher. It takes a tough critter to eat a porcupine. Even coyotes, one of the state's apex predators, instinctually knows to leave porcupines alone – a trait that is sadly not shared by their domestic cousin, who rack up vet bills to have quills removed from their snouts.

What big quills you have!

Those quills really are something else. Porcupines actually have rather soft fur that is mixed with up to 30,000 quills that will lay flat on their back until they feel threatened. Then, just like when we get goose-bumps, the quills stand up. They don’t shoot off the body but they detach very easily when touched, and they have little barbs at the end that make them really hard to get out.  

What do porcupines do?

Porcupines pretty much do whatever they want. With so few predators they mostly just go about their business. Porcupines are active throughout the year, hanging out in trees eating bark, leaves, and fruit. You might find a tree that has been claimed by a family of porcupines. Generation after generation, porcupines will return to the same place, eating from the same "station tree", setting back its growth winter after winter.

Naturalist Dave Anderson is Senior Director of Education for The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, where he has worked for over 30 years. He is responsible for the design and delivery of conservation-related outreach education programs including field trips, tours and presentations to Forest Society members, conservation partners, and the general public.
Chris Martin has worked for New Hampshire Audubon for over 31 years as a Conservation Biologist, specializing in birds of prey such as Bald Eagles, Ospreys, and Peregrine Falcons.
Related Content

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.