Porcies

Porcupines African Crested Porcupines Order: rodent. A porcupine's habitat and range: forests, deserts, and grasslands of North and South America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. Porcupines can weigh from 2 to 60 pounds depending on the species. A prickly coat of needle-sharp quills is the porcupine's best defense. Ordinarily the quills lay flat. But if an enemy approaches the porcupine will raise the quills and spread them, usually deterring the enemy. If the animal is not deterred the quills may lodge in the enemy's flesh when the porcupine brushes against the animal. New quills grow in to relace the lost ones. The porcupine cannot throw its quills. There are two groups of porcupines. They differ in habits and appearance. The porcupines of the Americas also climb trees. Some have been seen using their tails to hold on to branches. In the winter the North American porcupine eats evergreen needles and bark. When spring arrives they feed on leaves, buds, stems, and fruit. Depending on the species, the gestation period is from 2 to 7 months, bearing 1 to 4 young. The life span of captive porcupines can be as much as 20 years. The Future of the Porcupine They are nearsighted, have a deep red shine to their eyes, and four toes on each front foot and five toes on each hind foot. Porkies are the second-largest rodent in Wisconsin after the North American beaver. They can weigh 30 pounds or more in summer but their weight drops dramatically during the lean months of winter. Porcupines live in the northern two-thirds of the state in a territory that extends in a V-shape from about the Ellsworth area in Pierce County down to Wisconsin Dells and back up toward Green Bay. Porcupines, like most rodents, are vegetarians. Their winter diet consists of conifer needles, buds and the bark of pines, hemlock, maples and birch. How these critters survive on foods with a protein content of only two to three percent is truly amazing. Porcupines are sloppy eaters who drop a lot of greenery that provides a welcome snack for white-tailed deer during deep snows. If you spot a small pile of freshly-snipped branches on a winter walk, it's likely porcupines are nearby. Their winter dens are easy to find -- just follow your eyes and nose. Porcupines winter in caves and hollow logs. They travel the same paths every day. Near their dens you'll see distinctive fecal piles and smell the strong scent of concentrated urine. In spring, abundant food allows the porcupines to roam more freely, and they grow fat and healthy while dozing in the dog days of summer. Porkies consume tender shoots, succulent twigs, roots, seeds and (often to the dismay of gardeners) apples, melons, carrots, potatoes and other juicy produce. Nor are the gardener's tools immune to the porcupine's gouging incisors. The animals need sodium to rid their bodies of high levels of potassium from leaves and bark. Axe handles, hoes, canoe paddles, gloves and anything else touched by salty human hands are porcupine magnets. When defending itself, a porcupine sits very still, faces away from its enemy, raises up, bristles and rattles its quill-studded tail, protecting vital areas from potential predators with up to 30,000 barbed quills. Although porkies are slow, ambling creatures, it's not always easy to keep your distance.Only one predator poses a significant threat to porcupines -- the fisher. These large weasels will wait for the right moment and inflict quick bites to the porcupine's face and nose, areas that can take little abuse before the injury is fatal. The porcupine is relatively silent throughout its life, so many people don't recognize the whining squeal that sounds like a cross between a piglet and a crying baby. The sound varies in pitch and is most often heard in areas with rocky knobs and a good mix of conifers and hardwoods prime porcupine habitat. Native Americans had both respect and use for the porcupine. Its quills were incorporated in elaborate embroidered pieces, baskets and artwork. Porcupine quills were bartered and traded with plains tribes who had less frequent contact with the woodland creature. So keep an eye out for the barbed quill-pig of the woods on your next winter walk. And if one finds you, show some respect. About the author Alan D. Martin writes from Caledonia, Wis. African Crested Porcupines These 5 week-old babies love their ba-ba but also ALREADY eat solid foods. There are two families or porcupines, Hystricidae (Old World Porcupines) and Erethizontidae (New World Porcupines). There are many similarities between the two families, but for this text, we will consider only the African Crested Porcupine. They inhabit deserts, grasslands and adjoining forests. Order: Rodentia Family: Hystricidae Genus: Hystrix Species: Cristata or Africaeaustralis They have a stocky body with short legs. Their body, head and tail are covered with a coating of hair and a variety of bristles and quills. The africaeaustralis is larger with longer, heavier quills. Their quills are not barbed as they are in the New World Porcupines. The quills are of varying length and diameter but some of these quills can be as long as 15 inches and 3/8" in diameter. They have the ability to rattle their quills when alarmed. This species has rattle quills in its tail that are larger and hollow on the end furthest from the body. These quills are hollow and produce a hissing rattle when the tail is vibrated. Their tail is short in comparison to other porcupines. They have four clawed digits on the forefeet and five digits on the hind feet. Their dentition is i1/1, c0/0, p1/1, m3/3 x 2 for a total of 20 teeth. They are black in color with white rings on the quills and a crest on the head. Their normal body temperature is 99-100 degrees F. Females have 2-3 pairs of teats in two rows located just behind the shoulders, on the side of the chest. The male has no external scrotum. The penis can be palpated through the skin in the area just anterior to the anus. Breeding normally takes place from March to December in the wild but in captivity, it takes place all year round. Their estrus cycle is about 35 days and gestation is from 93 to 112 days. The litter can be from one to four can be two babies. They are born with their eyes open and soft quills. The mother is very dedicated and will protect her baby with great ferocity. They weigh 12 oz. at birth and nurse for about 3-1/2 months. Sexual maturity is at 9 to 18 months. Mating can understandably be quite a ritual. The female must be receptive or she will act very aggressively towards a courting male. If