The word “porcupine” comes from two Latin words, porcus (“swine”) and spina (“thorn”), which also reflect the species’ colloquial name, quill pig. The second largest rodent in North America (beavers are the largest), porcupines are herbivores, dining on leaves, grasses, twigs, buds, and the bark of the same trees these nocturnal animals hide in during the day to sleep. ovulation is stimulated by the act of copulation (does not occur spontaneously). This is because only adult ticks attach to porcupines, and adult ticks do not spread the virus. In doing this, females attract many males who compete with each other to determine dominance. In Massachusetts, they spend 13% of their time on the ground. Increased stress from natural predators signifies the fragile dynamics between porcupines and their environment. Females advertise their readiness to mate by vaginal secretions, urine marking, and high pitched vocalizations, well before the time of ovulation. 1995. Second, porcupines emit an auditory warning: a quiet clattering of the teeth. It has black to brownish-yellow fur and strong, short legs. Habitat. A female porcupine will begin breeding at 15 months and will have a … It has hairless soles on its feet that help it climb trees. The hollow quills allow porcupines to stay afloat in water. Christopher Weber (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Phil Myers (editor, instructor), Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Physoilogical Zoology, 70/6: 615-620. Porcupines move on to the cambium of basswood, aspen, and sapling beech trees. Dietary patterns of porcupines have been extensively studied in eastern deciduous forests. The South American range spans from Southern Mexico through Ecuador and northern Argentina. The underside is covered with long, dark fur. Distribution of the Porcupine. The regal Snowy Owl is one of the few birds that can get even non-birders to come out for a look. Vegetation is typically sparse, though spectacular blooms may occur following rain. Throughout all the North American desert regions, and the entire west, north to Canada. The force is supplied by the contact with the would-be predator. . North American Porcupine Range Map, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Skip to Main Content Skip … Spines called quills extend from head to tail on the dorsal surface. Porcupines possess a very unique defense system. (Roze, 1989), Porcupine feeding happens primarily at night. Coniferous or boreal forest, located in a band across northern North America, Europe, and Asia. Baby porcupines have soft quills that begin hardening about an hour after birth. North American Porcupine Range and Habitat. Savannas are grasslands with scattered individual trees that do not form a closed canopy. chemicals released into air or water that are detected by and responded to by other animals of the same species. Both males and females defend their territories, the former more so than the latter. Their upper parts are covered with thousands of sharp, barbed spines or quills (actually modified hairs), which are used for defense. Alaska is also home to a sizable North American porcupine population. In California, little is known about the historical or current status of the porcupine, and maps of its distribution conflict … Males compete with each other using loud vocalizations, violent biting, and each uses his quills as weapons. A porcupine has a home range, the size varies in depending on the area, (studies have shown home ranges varying from 25-35 acres, ... Others compare it to strong, unwashed human body odor, marijuana and coconut. Sweitzer, R., J. Berger. (Roze, 1989; Vaughn, et al., 2000), North American porcupines are sexually dimorphic, with males being larger than females. Mast years in nut producing trees have a direct effect on these herbivores. 1997. Porcupines live in open tundra, deciduous forests, and desert chaparral. They inhabit much of North America between the Arctic Ocean and northern Mexico. Porcupines also occur in Africa and Asia, but Old World porcupines do not belong to the same family as New World porcupines. (Vaughn, et al., 2000), Like the porcupines found in Central and South America, North American porcupines have arboreal adaptations including long claws (four in front with a vestigial thumb, and five in back). In the eastern and Midwestern parts of the US, its range extends only through eastern Tennessee … Wood ticks, Dermacentor andersoni, are the host of Colorado Tick Fever virus; however porcupines do little to spread this virus. (Kurta, 1995; Roze, 1989; Sweitzer and Berger, 1997; Vaughn, et al., 2000), Skull characteristics include a lack of canine teeth and a dental pattern of 1/1, 0/0, 1/1, 3/3. The North American range runs from northern Canada and Alaska to the Appalachian Mountains and Northern Mexico. Soils usually subject to permafrost. 1993. With an extensive range, porcupines can be found in varied climates, and at varied elevations. Deserts can be cold or warm and daily temperates typically fluctuate. Immobilization of North American porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum) using Ketamine and Xylazine. Quills cover the body, except on the legs and belly. (Roze, 2002), Even with this elaborate defense mechanism, porcupines are preyed upon by a couple of co-adapted predators. Porcupines are not territorial animals, however, their home range can be as large as 200 acres. The North American porcupine is a rodent. Mustelid, squirrel, and porcupine population trends during a snowshoe hare cycle. However, in the autumn, feeding rates increase, probably in preparation for the winter scarcity of high quality forage. Scientific Classification Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Mammalia Order Rodentia … Porcupines do not throw their quills. The North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum,) is the largest species of porcupine and the only one that can be found in the United States and Canada. Herbivores which live in groups usually do so as a response to predators, but with the acute defenses of porcupines, a solitary existence is entirely tolerable. The North American Porcupine is best known for and made distinguishable by its spiny quills that cover its body. Name. Today, however, they are mostly considered a pest. They have smaller territories than do adults, but expand their territory size as they mature. A porcupine’s head and body can measure 25 to 36 in and their tail, 8 to 10 in. Increased predation may have been a result of low mule deer populations in the area. Porcupines in the Rocky Mountains feed primarily on ponderosa pines, and rest in dens on the ground. Each animal has approximately 30,000 quills. Topics The upper body is covered with sharp quills nestled among long, thick fur ranging down the tail. Males have little to no contact with their offspring. A porcupineâs first line of defense is escaping from danger by climbing up a tree. A dominant male breeds with a number of different females, but only when the females are willing. 2001. Weber, C. 2004. Referring to an animal that lives in trees; tree-climbing. Sweitzer, R., J. Berger. In South America it includes the scrub ecotone between forest and paramo. Ecology, 73: 567-875. In his book, The North American Porcupine, Roze identifies the molecule responsible for the odor as R-delta-decalactone. They are usually around 75 mm long and 2 mm wide. Mammals of the Great Lakes Region. Range of species in blue. The palms and soles of porcupines are naked with a pebbly surface. having more than one female as a mate at one time, communicates by producing scents from special gland(s) and placing them on a surface whether others can smell or taste them. Journal of Mammalogy, 72/2: 373-378. Falling out of trees is quite common for porcupines, and self-impalement is definitely a hazard. Western North American Naturalist, 63/1: 1-10. This terrestrial biome also occurs at high elevations. If a quill becomes lodged in the tissues of a would-be attacker, the barbs act to pull the quill further into the tissues with the normal muscle movements of the attacker, moving up to several millimeters in a day. Limited den sites (standing hollow snags), brought about by logging practices, increased porcupine exposure to fishers. Journal of Mammalogy, 83/2: 381-385. Also ashes are fed upon heavily, because they are relatively easy to climb (compared to the smooth bark of beeches), and because they have relatively low tannin levels. The quills are not hollow, but are filled with a spongy matrix, which makes them very rigid and light. When ground dens are not available, porcupines choose trees to rest in. In southwestern Texas, porcupine populations both rest and feed in papershell pinyon pines (Pinus remota), as well as in oaks and other hardwood species. When another animal attacks the porcupine, its quills detach, burrowing into the adversary’s flesh and inflicting … Canadian Journal of Zoology, 75: 2107-2111. Females all maintain similar sized territories, but male territory size varies with age and dominance status. The North American porcupine is the second largest rodent in North America, outsized only by beavers. Porcupines in eastern deciduous forests, however, feed on a number of different species of trees. Accessed December 10, 2020 at https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Erethizon_dorsatum/. Porcupine habitat varies geographically. Female porcupines advertise their 8 to 12 hour estrous period well ahead of time through vaginal secretions, urine marking, and high pitched vocalizations. Common name: North American Porcupine; Scientific name: Erethizon dorsatum Order: Rodentia; Family: Erethizontidae; Also known as. Disclaimer: defends an area within the home range, occupied by a single animals or group of animals of the same species and held through overt defense, display, or advertisement. In eastern habitats, hemlocks are usually chosen over other conifers for both resting and feeding. The back is covered in spines (called quills) from head to tail. Porcupines will chew on the wooden handles of human tools, other human-made wood structures, and areas of collected roadside salt runoff. In Massachussettes, porcupines were found rarely to feed on bark, whereas in Texas they forage largely on bark. North American Porcupine Range and Habitat. Morin, P., D. Berteaux. Sweitzer, R., S. Jenkins, J. Berger. While ADW staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control. Search in feature May be maintained by periodic fire. There is some sharing of dens in the winter (up to eight in a den). Vegetation is made up mostly of grasses, the height and species diversity of which depend largely on the amount of moisture available. Some of them build dens on the ground. The quills on the tail are used to stab the tree, further increasing fiction and stabilizing the animal in the tree. The middle of the tail and lower back are marked by a black line. McAllister Center. Classification, To cite this page: Where does the North American Porcupine live? Grants DRL 0089283, DRL 0628151, DUE 0633095, DRL 0918590, and DUE 1122742. 1989. Porcupines have strong, short legs and t… Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. North American Porcupines are large, solitary rodents common in New England, but less common and rarely seen in Connecticut. Porcupines have four incisors—two above and two below that are bright orange, strong and adapted to gnawing. See also Tropical savanna and grassland biome. Populations have been studied extensively in the eastern deciduous forests of New York and Massachusetts, the Great Basin Desert, and the woodlands of Texas. Bounties, large poisoning efforts and unregulated killing have only recently been discontinued. Fire and grazing are important in the long-term maintenance of grasslands. Range A terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes (>23.5° N or S latitude). The North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) has the most northerly range of all porcupines. The Division of Wildlife’s mission is to conserve and improve fish and wildlife resources and their habitats for sustainable use and appreciation by all. The North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), a common New World porcupine, is second in size behind the beaver as one of the largest rodents in North America. The porcupine is North America’s second largest rodent; only the beaver is bigger. The porcupine's natural range extends from Alaska across the Yukon Territory and the southern provinces of Canada to the eastern coast, then south through the western United States and the Great Basin to northern Mexico. In the Pacific Northwest, these animals are primarily ground dwelling. The North American porcupine can live for 23 years, while South America's prehensile-tailed porcupine can go four years longer. (Roze, 1989; Roze, 2002), Quills present some dangers to porcupines. Few species of trees are present; these are primarily conifers that grow in dense stands with little undergrowth. having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. In dunes near seas and oceans this is compounded by the influence of salt in the air and soil. They inhabit most of Alaska and Canada, the northern part of the Great Lakes region as well as the west and northeast regions of the United States. The porcupine is a common and wide-spread resident of the Adirondacks where it occurs to elevations of at least 1220 m … 1997. Back to top Feeding. Predators tend to hunt and kill porcupines mostly in open habitats. Range. Abstract.—The North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) is one of the most widely distributed mammals in North America, but recent reports have suggested declines in parts of its range in the West. 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