Porcupines are
rodents with a coat of sharp
spines,
or quills, that defend and camouflage them from predators. They are
indigenous to the Americas, southern Asia, and Africa. Porcupines are
the third largest of the rodents, behind the
capybara and the
beaver.
Most porcupines are about 25–36 in (64–91 cm) long, with an 8–10 in
(20–25 cm) long tail. Weighing 12–35 lb (5.4–16 kg), they are rounded,
large and slow. Porcupines come in various shades of brown, gray, and
the unusual white. Porcupines' spiny protection resembles that of the
unrelated
erinaceomorph hedgehogs and
monotreme echidnas.
The
common porcupine is a
herbivore. It eats leaves, herbs, twigs and green plants like
skunk cabbage and
clover
and in the winter it may eat bark. The North American porcupine often
climbs trees to find food. The African porcupine is not a climber and
forages on the ground.
It is mostly
nocturnal,
but will sometimes forage for food in the day. Porcupines have become a pest in
Kenya and are eaten as a delicacy.
A male porcupine urinates on a female porcupine prior to mating, spraying the urine at high velocity.
The name
porcupine comes from
Middle French porc espin (spined pig).
A regional American name for the animal is
quill pig.
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