kliontrendy.blogg.se

• Are porcupines nocturnal skin#

They are, however, very popular in Southern Asia. While they are not regular menu items in Western Culture, Porcupines have been eaten on occasion. Porcupine populations have declined partly due to the fact that they are a food source to some humans.

Are porcupines nocturnal skin#

So, in actual fact, the quills get pulled out of place once firmly attached to something like skin or some other soft surface. The Porcupine does not throw the quill, it actually breaks off at the base when the barbs at the tip of the quill penetrate something. Once a quill is released, a new one will grow in its place. Quills actually are released through contact and sometimes a few may fall out when a porcupine shakes its body vigorously. Old World Porcupines have cluster quills and the single quills of New World Porcupines are interspersed with hair, under fur and bristles. The Porcupine quills are not the same on every species.Īll Porcupine quills are actually modified hairs that are coated with thick plates of keratin and are embedded in the musculature of the skin. It also helps that their predators are color blind. A Porcupine’s color helps protect it from many predators.Īs most of the predators that a Porcupine may encounter are nocturnal, the black and white colors of the Porcupine protect it. They include quill erection, clattering teeth, the emitting of an odor and finally, an attack. There are four main displays that will come from an agitated, irritated and ticked off Porcupine. Typically the Porcupine will display defensive behavior when it gets annoyed or agitated. The defensive response from a Porcupine depends on several factors. Don’t tick off a Porcupine as it has several defensive behaviors. They are also good climbers and will spend much of their time in trees. The two sub families of New World Porcupines have their quills attached individually. Of the eleven different species of Old World Porcupines have their spikes grouped in small clusters. There are a few differences between Old World and New World Porcupines. These ones can be found on rocky areas up to 12,000-feet in elevation. There are some New World Porcupines who live in trees while Old World Porcupines remain on the rocks. They generally occupy forests, deserts, hill sides and rocky outcrops. You can usually find Porcupines in parts of Asia, southern Europe, Africa, North and South America with a tendency to gravitate towards tropical and temperate climates. Porcupines do not have a very wide range of habitats. In Kenya, Porcupines are a known pest to farmers and many have ended up on dinner plates served as a delicacy. It will sometime forage for food during the day and will eat a more varied diet that will include roots, fruits, berries, bark and farm crops. The African Porcupine does not climb so it forages mostly on the ground, and is mostly nocturnal. They may actually eat bark in the winter and will climb trees in an effort to find food. The North American Porcupine is an herbivore and sticks to a diet rich in herbs, leaves, twigs and green plants. North American Porcupines have a different diet to African Porcupines. However, as is usually the case with records, it was broken when the Naked Mole-Rat became the longest living rodent after one reached 28 years of age. One documented example lived to the ripe old age of 27 years. If you were ever looking for an unusual piece of trivia, the porcupine held the record for being the longest living rodent in the world. The animal has the nickname in parts of North America of quill pig.

The name porcupine comes from the Latin words ‘porcus’ and ‘spina’ which translate to mean pig spine. The spiny outer protective layer of a Porcupine resembles that of hedgehogs, which are not related. The coloring of Porcupines varies from shades of brown to grey and white. They have a large, round body and move slowly.

They are about 25 to 35-inches long, have an 8 to 10-inch tail and weigh between 12 and 35-pounds. Regardless of the family, most Porcupines are about the same size. The new world variety is in North and South America.Įurope, western & southern Asia, Africa, north & south America.įishers, coyotes, cougars, bobcats, foxes, lynxes, bears, wolves The old world variety can be found in southern parts of Europe, western and southern Asia and throughout most of Africa. There is hystricidae, or Old World Porcupines, and Erethizontidae, the New World Porcupines.īoth families have distinct locations. There are two different families of porcupines. They wear a coat of sharp quills all over their body. Porcupines are rodents with an interesting way to protect themselves from predators.