Species MammalsNorth American Porcupine

North American Porcupine

Erethizon dorsatum

UncommonMammal
Illustration of North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)
Safety note: Never handle a porcupine — quills detach on contact.

The North American Porcupine is the second-largest rodent on the continent, covered in roughly 30,000 barbed quills. A slow-moving, mostly nocturnal tree climber with a fondness for salt.

Habitat
Boreal forests, mixed woodlands, and desert shrublands
Diet
Bark, twigs, needles, and herbaceous vegetation
How common
Uncommon

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