Critter Class Porcupines

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Critter Class

Porcupines North American Porcupine

October 6, 2011

MVK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y4cQEEyuTw

Porcupine

Comment: How absolutely precious! I love him!!!

Comment: The baby looked so soft and cute, not what I would have thought Cute video

Comment: Porcupine. Yippee!! Hi MVK. How was your day today??

Comment: Awwww toooo cute!!!

Comment: How cute is that!

Comment: OUCH!

Comment: Evening MVK and EN - Porcupines - wow - funny little critters or what!!! Good choice♥♥♥

Critter Class – Porcupine 1 10/6/2011 Comment: Oh my goodness -----how cute is that baby porcupine!! I really don't know much about them. He was using his paws so well. Do they have thumbs like raccoons?

Comment: Oh my word, isn't that baby cute! And such a dainty eater!

Comment: Is that a porcupine? Pulled many of quills from my dogs.

Comment: Oh, one of my favorite animals. I love our type, and those snazzy African ones whose head look like they are wearing a fancy Parisian hat. I just love porcupines! MVK: Porcupines have soft hair, but on their back, sides, and tail it is usually mixed with sharp quills. These quills typically lie flat until a porcupine is threatened, then leap to attention as a persuasive deterrent. Porcupines cannot shoot them at predators as once thought, but the quills do detach easily when touched. from National Geographic

MVK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYC0IYuOYLw&NR=1

MVK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqc5jJQwVu8&feature=relmfu

MVK: This little porcupine's mother was hit and killed by a car. He was imprinted on humans so could not be released. He lives in a wildlife center in Minn.

Comment: Good evening MVK & Sophie Rose. Hope you had a good day. That baby porcupine doesn't look the least bit dangerous.

Comment: We see porcupines in the woods--usually up in trees. They can be quite destructive little buggers- -ate the door right off our neighbors cabin!

Porcupine in a tree

Critter Class – Porcupine 2 10/6/2011

MVK: Wow - I have never seen one in the wild - just in zoos.

MVK: Many animals come away from a porcupine encounter with quills protruding from their own snouts or bodies. Quills have sharp tips and overlapping scales or barbs that make them difficult to remove once they are stuck in another animal's skin. Porcupines grow new quills to replace the ones they lose.

Per National Geographic

Comment: Who eats porcupine???

Comment: Hi MVK, when do the porcupine quills get stiff or are they born that way?

MVK: Female porcupines have between one and four young, depending on the species. Babies have soft quills at birth, which harden within a few days. Most young porcupines are ready to live on their own at about two months of age. Per National Geographic

Comment: Hi, MVK! Porcupines!!! Cute baby! I used to work for a woman who imported jewelry, bags, sweaters etc from Peru. Many of the earrings used porcupine quills. The way it was explained to me was that they would squeeze (scare?) the porcupines and they'd shoot off the quills. (Don't know how accurate that is, but that's what I remember being told ... that job was many moons ago!)

Comment: really cute little ones,

MVK: I love the little sounds they make - like a little baby.

Comment: I need a bottle, a glove and a porcupet...sheer heaven.

Comment: I have never seen one in wild either, always thought they would be mean

Comment: From Linda in Vermont Their quills are like fishing lure hooks, with barbs.

Critter Class – Porcupine 3 10/6/2011 MVK: Porcupines' quills, or spines, take on various forms, depending on the species, but all are modified hairs coated with thick plates of keratin, and they are embedded in the skin musculature. Old World porcupines (Hystricidae) have quills embedded in clusters, whereas in New World porcupines (Erethizontidae), single quills are interspersed with bristles, underfur and hair. Per Wikipedia

MVK: Quills are released by contact with them, or they may drop out when the porcupine shakes its body, but cannot be projected at attackers. New quills grow to replace lost ones. From ancient times, it was believed that porcupines could throw their quills at an enemy, but this has long been refuted.[7][8] Per Wikipedia

MVK: Porcupines in search of salt sometimes enter human habitats, eating plywood cured with sodium nitrate,[9] certain paints, tool handles, doors, tables, houses, footwear, clothes and other items that have been coated in salty sweat. Porcupines are attracted to roads in areas where rock salt is used to melt ice and snow and are known to gnaw on vehicle tires or wiring coated in road salt. Salt licks placed nearby can prevent porcupines from injuring themselves. Per Wikipedia

Comment: Are the quills poisonous?

MVK: It doesn't sound like it - just hurt pretty bad.

Comment: MVK, the Game Commission brought Fishers into Pennsylvania to help with the porcupine population. They also started a porcupine hunting season this year with a 6 a day limit. Can't imagine anyone hunting porcupines myself!

MVK: Porcupines are occasionally eaten by humans, although they are not a large or popular source of food. More commonly, their quills and guardhairs are used for traditional decorative clothing. For example, their guardhairs are used in the creation of the Native American "porky roach" headdress. Per Wikipedia

Comment: And what do those porcupines eat and where do they nest??

MVK: Porcupines occupy a short range of habitats in tropical and temperate parts of Asia, Southern Europe, Africa, and North and South America. Porcupines live in forests, deserts, rocky outcrops, hillsides and grasssides. Some New World porcupines live in trees, but Old World porcupines stay on the rocks. Porcupines can be found on rocky areas up to 3,700

Critter Class – Porcupine 4 10/6/2011 m (12,100 ft) high. Porcupines are generally nocturnal but are occasionally active during daylight. Per Wikipedia

MVK: Porcupines eat seeds, fruit, leaves, grasses, dandelions, twigs and aquatic plants in the summer. A porcupine can climb trees that are 60 to 70 feet high to reach the young leaves. During the winter they eat twigs, leaves, bark, and pine needles. Porcupines like maple, birch, beech, oak, cherry, willow, pine and fir. They crave salt and will eat the handles of tools that has been seasoned with human sweat.

MVK: The main enemies of the porcupine are the fisher, great horned owl, coyote, and wolf.

MVK: Reproduction Female porcupines become sexually mature at about 18 months of age. The breeding season occurs between September to November and females may cycle more than once a year. Gestation varies from 205 to 215 days. One pup or "porcupette" is born in the spring (usually late-April to early-May,) However, pups can be born as late as August. Newborn pups weigh about 1 pound (.45 kg) and are approximately 10 inches (25 cm) long. Per zoo.org

Comment: Hi MVK and EN. I love the little "baby" noises the porcupet was making on the video. Makes you want to cuddle one....but...NOT a good idea! Go NX!!

Comment: What is the average life span of these walking pincushions? :)

MVK: 10-15 years in the wild

MVK: Life Cycle Young are born with eyes open and teeth erupted. Their bodies are covered with long hairs and quills, which are fully functional after drying within a few hours. Newborn are born mobile and capable of following the female. Young porcupines nurse about two months, but begin feeding on vegetation after only the first few days of life. Young usually stay with the female through the summer and then are on their own. Coloration of young porcupines usually darkens with age, and they reach full adult size in three to four years. While very nearsighted, porcupines have keen senses of smell, hearing and touch. Per zoo.org

Critter Class – Porcupine 5 10/6/2011 MVK: Prickly Life Its name comes from Latin for "swine" and "thorn." The porcupine has 30,000 or more quills, which cover all its body except the snout, throat, belly and feet pads. Quills are modified hairs with hollow, spongy centers. The loosely attached quills easily embed in attackers upon contact. While the porcupine does not throw quills, the flailing muscular tail and powerful body may help impel quills deeply into attackers. The quills' barbed ends expand with moisture and continue to work deeper into flesh. Porcupine quills have mildly antibiotic properties and thus are not infectious. Quills may cause death if they puncture a vital organ or if a muzzle full of quills leads to starvation. Per zoo.org

Comment: Hi MVK and EN. I guess any animal that attacks a porkypine soon gets the point driven home that it is not a good idea.

MVK: I think so.

MVK: How do Porcupines Mate? Very Carefully! Males fiercely compete for breeding rights. Hostility and violent battles are common with vicious bites, hundreds of "foreign quills" exchanged and even fatalities. Courtship consists of a period of wrestling, chases, vocalizations and urine showers. A receptive female folds her quills flat against her body, elevates her rear and arches her tail over her back. This provides the male with a quill-less platform. Mating continues until one of the pair ends contact by climbing a tree or hostile screaming. Per zoo.org

Comment: Good Evening MVK and Sophie Rose! I made it on for a little while tonight.....LOL Porcupines are soooo cute! Are they related to hedgehogs???

MVK: A Mostly Quiet Life Porcupines are generally solitary in nature, although groups up to a dozen may gather at certain nocturnal feeding sites during summer and early autumn. Numerous porcupines may share a den on a rotating basis, and several may share a winter den at the same time. During autumn breeding season, a number of males are found around adult females in estrus. During the summer, the nocturnal porcupine often spends the day resting safely in trees. Despite its stout body, short legs and waddling gait, the porcupine scales trees to great heights, climbing in an awkward and slow manner. The strong and barbed tail acts as a fifth leg for climbing, as well as a tripod-like prop for sitting upright. If alarmed, the porcupine will present its back with quills erected. Fishers, bobcats, cougars, coyotes, wolves and wolverines prey on porcupines. Great horned owls prey on young. The fisher is an especially successful predator. It launches frontal attacks on the unprotected snout,

Critter Class – Porcupine 6 10/6/2011 then a weakened or shocked porcupine can be flipped over, exposing its belly. per zoo.org

MVK: The true hedgehog is not a native of the New World. He resembles our porcupine in that he has a prickly coat of spines but the two animals are not related. The hedgehog is a distant relative of the moles and the shrews. The porcupine is a rodent, which makes him cousin to the rats and mice, the squirrels and the beavers. per youaskandy.com

Comment: Wow! Can weigh up to 35 lbs. Can't imagine running into Mega - Pine!

MVK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5I5H7EeC8k&feature=related

This is a video that was on Eagle Peeps and sparked my interest in porcupines.

Comment: Porcupine quills were used by the Indians to make clothing, jewelry, baskets etc. They are beautiful and the older ones are very expensive.

Comment: MVK what is the difference other than the quills between "old world" and "new world" porcupines?

MVK: The Old World porcupines, or Hystricidae, are large terrestrial rodents, distinguished by the spiny covering from which they take their name. They range over the south of Europe, most of Africa, India, and the Maritime Southeast Asia as far east as Borneo. Although both the Old World and New World porcupine families belong to the Hystricognathi branch of the vast order Rodentia, they are quite different and are not closely related.

Comment: So they don't shoot anybody with those quills??

Comment: Good evening, MVK and everyone. I have two very tall weeping willow trees in my side yard and every Spring when the trees are just beginning to bud, one or two porcupines come

Critter Class – Porcupine 7 10/6/2011 and climb to the tippity tops and out on slender limbs to dine on the buds and distal twigs. They come like clockwork and can be seen for several days...not sure if they stay at night. Do make a mess on the ground of bitten twigs, but quite interesting to watch. How do they know when those trees are ready to dine on?

MVK: It sounds like weeping willow is one of their favorites. Like other animals they know when the foods are ready - sight, smell, etc. They forage for foods like other animals - bears know when the berries are beginning to ripen and look for them.

Comment: I have never seen a porcupine in person, no matter how many hikes and camping trips I've done! Are they nocturnal, or just shy?

MVK: Porcupines are the second largest rodent in South Dakota. Their common name is from the French words, porc espin , meaning thorny hog, which refers to the animal's famous quills. The scientific name, Erethizon means "arouse" in Greek, and is a reference to the species' reputation for being irritable. Dorsatum is Latin for back. The Lakota word for porcupine, "pahin, " also means quill. per 3northern.edu/natsource

MVK: One reason you may not see them is they are mostly nocturnal herbivores - eating at night.

MVK: Porcupines can but it is rare to have rabies in a porcupine. Porcupine quills in some animals is a sign of rabies as animals with rabies will often attack other animals - especially raccoons, foxes, dogs and other mammals.

MVK: In North America rabies occurs primarily in skunks, raccoons, foxes and bats. In some areas these wild animals infect domestic cats, dogs, and livestock. In the U.S., cats are more likely than dogs to be rabid. As a general rule, rabies is rare in small rodents (beavers, chipmunks and squirrels, rats and mice, muskrats, hamsters, gerbils, porcupines and guinea pigs). Rabies is also rare in rabbits. In the mid-atlantic states (including NJ), where rabies is increasing in raccoons, woodchucks (also known as groundhog) can be rabid. Per Oracle

Comment: Do porcupines carry rabies?

Comment: Love the little porcupet's 'nom, nom' sounds when it's drinking from the bottle!

Comment: Is there a reason they crave salt like that??

Critter Class – Porcupine 8 10/6/2011 MVK: They are vegetarians and do not get enough potassium through their diet and crave salt to keep a normal level of potassium.

Comment: This porcupine salt craving is amazing, and rather extreme! Thanks for doing this class.

Comment: What did the porcupine say to the cactus? Is that you, Mom? ☺

Comment: MVK ~ What an interesting choice for tonight ~ something else I know nothing about ~~ hang out & learn MVK: I didn't know that much either and saw a video of one and it made me want to know more. The salt thing is incredible. They will even chew oars on boats to get the salt.

Comment: MVK, maybe the porcupines love for wood is why Ed's cabin is made of cement blocks...... LOL

MVK: Ed also has salt licks I believe!!!!

Comment: I wonder how long it takes them to regrow their quills once they release them. I imagine they are like regrowing hair. Could take a while, huh?

MVK: The stiffest, longest, and most numerous quills are found on the back and tail. Those on the sides are more slender and flexible. Quill length varies with the area of the body on which they are found and the stage of development. Just as animal hair is shed and replaced, so are the porcupine's quills. New ones begin developing within a few days after the old ones are shed or removed, and they grow about one millimeter every two days until fully developed. Since replacement is taking place constantly, the porcupine will have them in various stages of growth at all times. Once a quill is fully formed, the root closes, and usually no bleeding occurs when the quill is removed from its ready-release socket. Per tpwd.state.tx.us

Comment: Just arrived at class and zipped back to catch up. Adorable little porcupet! I actually did see a porcupine in the woods once when I was a teenager and was out camping with friends. It was up in a tree.

Comment: Pity poor mom if she had a breech birth.....ohhhh!!!!!!!

Critter Class – Porcupine 9 10/6/2011

MVK: Mother nature took care of that - they are soft at birth - LOL

Comment: Wow MVK, that's funny. Skunks & Porcupines both have bad eyesight. Is that predominate in wild animals?

MVK: No - many animals have excellent eye site - the cats, the foxes, coyotes, wolves, and of course birds.

MVK: You may have heard it said that the porcupine throws its quills at its enemies. This is not true, but it is easy to understand why the idea persists. When a porcupine senses danger, it lifts its quills into the vertical position. The next step is to waggle its tail from side to side. If these warnings are ignored and the threat continues, the porcupine whirls around and presents its prickly backside to the enemy. With teeth chattering and tail thrashing, it advances in a backward position. During this violent tail lashing, some of the older quills that were about ready to be shed are dislodged. Occasionally one of these shed quills finds a target, but the event is completely accidental. No aiming or throwing occurs.

MVK: Bowlegged and pigeon-toed, the porcupine slowly ambles along, swinging its fat body from side to side, muttering to itself. A pleasant enough creature when left alone, the porcupine is quick to defend itself at the slightest threat. With a top speed of little more than a fast waddle, it can escape very few animals; however, its defensive weapons are so effective, it has no need for speed.

MVK: For a solitary creature, the porcupine is quite vocal. As it waddles along, it can be heard making noises to itself like an absent-minded person. Mumbles, murmurs, moans, grunts, and whines are common. It "sings" in a pitiful, high-pitched whine, but the noise does not mean the animal is suffering any distress. Usually it is a sign that the porcupine is sexually excited. Some males sing in a low tone while others have a more moderate whine. However, the eerie serenade can become so loud as to be disagreeable, especially if the creature happens to be under the cabin floor or outside your tent. Hisses and teeth chatters are most commonly heard when the animal is threatened. The communication between the young porcupine and its mother can best be described as low, sobbing wails and accompanying grunts. The mother may call the young one to encourage it to follow her up a tree, but she does not necessarily wait to see that it does. Often the young one's call appears to be ignored by the mother, or simply answered with a grunt or two.

MVK: Since adult porcupines are loners, meetings between males and females usually occur only during the breeding season. When two meet, it may first appear they are going to fight;

Critter Class – Porcupine 10 10/6/2011 however, before long they probably will be rubbing noses or sitting up rubbing front paws. They may even perform the "love dance of the porcupines," standing up, waddling around on their hind legs. Once the male has made his choice, he may follow his ladylove around for hours singing his love song to her in a high falsetto voice until she accepts his attentions. information pertpwd.state.tx.us/publications

Comment: HI Marianne! So how do the predators of porcupines get around the quills?

MVK: Very very carefully - I guess it would go for the softer parts of the body.

Comment: Love the part about one of the pair ending mating by climbing a tree or hostile screaming! LOL. Guess that would get the message across!

Comment: Hi MVK! Great subject tonight! I just saw a Porcupine on a Saturday morning show and thought it was adorable! I've never seen one in the wild. On the map you posted, what is the difference between the yellow and brown areas?

MVK: The fisher (Martes pennanti) is a medium-size mammal native to North America. It is a member of the mustelid family, commonly referred to as the weasel family. The fisher is closely related to but larger than the American Marten (Martes americana). The fisher is a forest- dwelling creature whose range covers much of the boreal forest in Canada to the northern fringes of the United States.[2] Names derived from aboriginal languages include pekan, pequam, and wejack. It is also sometimes referred to as a fisher cat, though it is not a feline.

MVK: National Geographic says the yellow is the porcupine range. However, some of the brown also has porcupines from what I read.

MVK: The common porcupine can be found in most of Canada and the western United States south to Mexico. In the eastern United States, it can be found in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York and New England. per nhptv.org

Critter Class – Porcupine 11 10/6/2011 Comment: Found the link to the baby porcupine pic on line...so cute ...http://www.strangezoo.com/images/content/6375.jpg

Comment: I had no idea they could climb trees.

Comment: The porcupine is a rodent? Who would've thunk? I thought it was possibly related to the sloth with the way the little porcupine in the video was grabbing the stool and trying to climb.

Comment: Love that video...... he is so cute and playful.

Comment: Even grown up they are cute!

Comment: Oh, that is just too cute!!!

Comment: It looks like the quills were removed from the porcupine in that last video you showed. You could almost see where they were cut off.

Comment: That video is great but can't imagine having one for a pet.

MVK: Can you imagine, sleeping on your bed and had a bad dream - YEOWWWWW

Comment: Hi MVK - I'm trying to read fast & catch up. The porcupines are a lot cuter than I would have thought. When you posted the range map, what do the colors mean? Do they live in the yellow area or the tan, or is it seasonal?

MVK: I just posted right above a few

Comment: One source said the yellow is the range but then another source said they are often found in other areas too.

Comment: Good evening, MVK! I have had the pleasure of performing 'dog-plucking' with a canine that got it from a porcupine.

Critter Class – Porcupine 12 10/6/2011

MVK: Oh that must be horrible. As mentioned earlier, once you get stuck with a porcupine quill, the barbs on the tip naturally drive it deeper into your skin. It requires significant force to remove this little gift. If you happen to be the unlucky recipient of a porcupine quill in the arm or leg, grab a pair of needle-nose pliers and prepare yourself for a pinch. The best way to remove porcupine quills is simply to pull them out. Because of those nasty barbs, you'll need to work firmly but delicately to prevent the quill from snapping off. In case that does happen (and you prefer not to have a doctor dig the barb out of your skin), you're not in much danger. The quills don't contain poison, and the barbed tip should work its way out of your skin eventually. The antibiotic coating on the quills also reduces the chance of primary infection [source: Gibbons]. But as you would with a large splinter, disinfect the area and apply antibiotic ointment to any open wound to ward off secondary infection.

Comment: Their nose looks a bit like a pig LOL

Comment: I do remember back in college, I was doing a science lesson for an elementary class and had the porcupine specimen from the biology department. Well, it wouldn't fit into my backpack and I did have another class before going back to my dorm. Boy, did I ever get strange looks taking a stuffed porcupine to an art class! lol (thing wasn't the best smelling either! :( ) MVK: LOL

Comment: I have a fun Porcupine story. A few years ago, I was visiting my parents at their new home at a ski resort in CO. I decided to walk to town for a little entertainment and started walking back home...along a rather dark a twisting road, when I realized that I had a companion strolling along on the opposite side of the road beside me! It was a very dark night (w/ no street lights) and when the Moon peeked out from the clouds, I saw that it was a porcupine! I gotta tell you...this thing was HUGE! The animal probably wasn't bigger than a Cocker Spaniel but with all those quills, it looked like a St. Bernard! I (umm, nervously) sang hymes hoping my voice would send him up into the woods...but nope! We made the whole 3 mile walk up that dark road together! If you can imagine Ocean Waves walking...that's what he looked like...all those quills undilating. I was never so glad to get to my parents' front door in my life.

MVK: LOL - singing hymns - probably thought you were a mate - they also make singing, wailing sounds. LOL

Comment: Prorkypines! yay! What is a Fisher - the predator mentioned?

Critter Class – Porcupine 13 10/6/2011 MVK: Read back just a bit - a member of the weasel family. Mean little devil.

Comment: Wow, MVK. Excellent videos tonight! Amazing creatures...but aren't they all?

Comment: Do you know if WCV has ever had porcupines as patients?

MVK: Well it didn't come up on Google’s first page but we'll have to ask Randy - he is knower of all.

Comment: Here's a video of a mama porcupine protecting its baby from lions. Wow! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrxdiqFe8rU&feature=fvsr

MVK: I cannot find anything about the male sharing in raising the young.

Comment: I saw a strange thing at the local Stone Zoo in MA when I was went to their Christmas lights show. That's when you can see a porcupine at night. I assume it was a stress response, but it looked like it was disco dancing. It was swaying back and forth and sticking out one arm to the side, and then the other. There was music playing, to make it funnier, but I do assume that behavior was a sign of stress from captivity. I don't guess we can find literature to tell us!! (For those nearby, the Stone Zoo has both the New and Old World types.)

Comment: MVK, love these classes! Learning about such diversity of species is really helping in viewing all wildlife in a different light. Who thought one could fall in love with a porcupine?

MVK: Yes and the male will often urinate all over the female.

Comment: They mumble to themselves!!!!!! Wonder what they are saying??? Gotta love 'em ♥♥♥

MVK: "darn quills, always in the way, can't have any friends, try to clean myself and what do I get - a face full of quills, . . . "

Comment: Trying to figure out what cartoon is connected with the porcupine?? It isn't Porky the Pig, right?? LOL

Critter Class – Porcupine 14 10/6/2011 Comment: I wonder about the Porcupine that is not releasable how do the deal with the quills? Is there a way they can be removed?

MVK: Rubber gloves and thick waders probably.

Comment: Oh I so want to see a video of that paw patting and falsetto singing business!

MVK: Porcupine is a rodent - one relative is a beaver.

Comment: Fact 12 - The male porcupine also helps the female in taking care of the young, From: http://www.facts-about.org.uk/facts-about-porcupine.htm

MVK: Thank you Shelly - I couldn't find it.

Comment: Hi MVK - do you know if they hibernate during winter?

MVK: No they do not hibernate but will stay in their den during bad weather.

Comment: MVK, are the quills soft until engaged? In the videos it looked softer when they were being held?

MVK: No but they are interspersed with softer quills.

Critter Class – Porcupine 15 10/6/2011