THE QUILL PIG
THE QUILL PIG
The porcupine is also called the “quill pig”.The word 'porcupine' means 'one who rises up in anger'.
Porcupines are lumbering, rotund rodents with needle-like spikes, called quills, covering their back, sides, and tail.
Porcupines are lumbering, rotund rodents with needle-like spikes, called quills, covering their back, sides, and tail.
A single
porcupine can have more than 30,000 quills, which are actually sharp bristles
of fused hair. Quills typically
lie flat until a porcupine is threatened. Porcupines
cannot shoot them at predators as once thought, but the quills do detach easily
when touched.
Quills are very difficult to remove once embedded.
Porcupines grow new quills to replace the ones they lose.
In some species of porcupine, the quills end in hook-like tips called barbs. Quills with barbs are especially difficult to remove.
In some species of porcupine, the quills end in hook-like tips called barbs. Quills with barbs are especially difficult to remove.
Two main
categories: Old World porcupines and New World porcupines.
Old World
porcupines, living on the ground mostly in burrows.
New World
porcupines spend most of
their lives in trees. Some New World porcupines have tails that can grasp
branches like monkeys.
The
porcupine has the ability to swim as its quills are hollow and buoyant.
Female porcupines give birth to one or two young at a time. The male porcupine also helps the female in taking care of the young.
The quills of
baby porcupines are soft at birth but harden within an hour
FAST FACTS
Weight: 2.2 to 40 lbs
FAST FACTSWeight: 2.2 to 40 lbs
Length: 25-36 inches
Tail Length: 6-12 inches
Habitat: Forests or brush-lands
Lifespan: 18 years
Diet: Herbivores
Males :Boar
Females :Sow
Babies :Pup or piglet
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