Scientific classification: Eurasian porcupines make up the family Hystricidae. American porcupines make up the family Erethizontidae.
Introduction
Porcupine are herbivorous rodent having long, pointed spines, or quills, growing from the back and sides and, in some species, from the head and tail. The quills, which have needle-sharp ends containing hundreds of barbs, what do porcupines eat, can be erected by the muscles of the skin. Their loose attachment and ready removal have given rise to the popular but incorrect idea that the animal can project its quills like arrows or darts.
Habitat of porcupine
The Eurasian porcupines range through the forests of southern Europe and Asia, Africa, and Indonesia. They are typified by the common porcupine, which is thick-bodied, grizzled, and black in color. It grows to a length of at least 60 cm (at least 24 in), with some of its quills exceeding 30 cm (12 in) in length. The American porcupines include four genera: the tree porcupines of Central and South America, the North American porcupine, what do porcupines eat the thin-spined porcupine of Brazil, and the Amazonian porcupine. The North American porcupine is found in heavily wooded regions from Alaska to the northern extreme of Mexico. It grows to a length of 65 to 80 cm (26 to 31 in) and has a short tail and brownish hair, which almost conceals its 5- to 15-cm (2- to 6-in) quills.
The diverse types of porcupines
Prehensile-Tailed Porcupine
Native to Mexico and northern South America, this tree porcupine is identified by a strong, grasping tail that provides stability while the animal gathers food. The prehensile-tailed porcupine’s diet consists of leaves, what do porcupines eat fruits, and stems. The porcupine’s sharp quills defend it against predators.
Canadian Porcupine
The Canadian or North American porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum, like other New World porcupines, spends some of its time in the trees. Its strong claws and creased, furless foot pads grip branches well, and its spineless tail, prehensile in some New World species, is also useful in climbing. In contrast, Old World porcupines are completely terrestrial. North American porcupines subsist mostly on bark, what do porcupines eat needles, and (during the summer) grasses. The one pictured here is chewing on an elk antler.
The North American porcupine
The North American porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum, has made the greatest inroads. This bark-eating rodent, with its formidable barbed quills, today ranges as far north as Alaska and Canada’s Hudson Bay and Labrador.