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When it comes to these prickly critters, everyone has an opinion. Some believe them to be a nuisance, others are afraid of them, and some think they are just too cute! One thing is certain, for an animal that is not usually aggressive; he has obtained quite a reputation as a fierce animal. One false belief that has arisen about the porcupine is there supposed ability to ‘throw’ their quills. Untrue, as at no time could porcupines do this. In order for someone or something to become impaled by the quills, over 30,000 on average per porcupine, they would have to have actual physical contact with the porcupine.
Porcupines will stand their ground when threatened though! Ask any dog owner, whose dog thought they would like to tangle with this animal, the consequences of a dog-porcupine meeting. I have yet to hear of a dog that won. The results are usually at the least, a mouthful, or more often, both a mouthful and everywhere else on the dog, peppered with quills. A porcupines quill is very sharp and barbed on the end, making entry easy, and removal painful. A visit to the veterinarian is often necessary. My own dog recently encountered a porcupine and had quills not only on his face and inside his mouth and throat, but in his tail, belly, and back. His feet had quills that upon the veterinarian trying to extract them he found them to be embedded into the bones of my dog’s feet. A slap of the porcupine’s tail was most likely the cause of them to be so deeply imbedded. We came to the conclusion that in order for him to have so many quills, he must have literally rolled around with the porcupine as they fought, and the porcupine, while he might have won, at the least, he must be nearly bald!
A wild animal that attacked and had similar results would surely die consequently. The quills will work their way farther and farther into their victim causing a very painful death. Infection from the quills is also a concern, and with our dog, a two-week round of strong antibiotics accompanied the veterinarian’s removal of the quills. They do have some natural enemies that have developed the skills necessary to kill and eat them. Pine marten are one such animal, having been known to be able to flip them over and attack the unprotected belly area. In this modern age, vehicles also kill many each year, but even this often results in a tire full of quills.
Part of the ‘Rodentia’ class, they join mice, beavers, squirrels, and several other animals known as gnawers, because of their chewing habits. Porcupines are born fully barbed. Staying with their mothers only a very short time, a few weeks, they are then quickly on their way to a life spent in a mostly solitary environment. Their diet consists of berries, leaves, twigs, and tree bark. The death of many trees is blamed on the porcupine, as they enjoy the softer underside of the tree bark and the removal of this protective layer often results in the death of the tree. Camp owners will often arrive and find that a porcupine has chewed the boards of a cabin porch or wall. More than one outhouse has met its demise from a porcupine chewing away at the boards. For an animal that weighs on average well below thirty-five pounds, they can be quite destructive. If you have ever taken a walk in the woods and been fortunate enough to find a deer antler shed, but found it to be chewed upon, this is also often the work of porcupines. Mice and other small forest rodents will also chew at dropped antler sheds, but porcupines will eat away whole racks.
Porcupines do have their uses. For centuries, Native Americans have treasured their quills as both useful tools and as precursors to beads. They can be dyed quite easily, and even today are used in jewelry and as decorations on many other items. Their beauty has graced baskets and clothing for hundreds of years. Native American women would embroider hundreds and even thousands of dyed quills onto a ceremonial robe, a bow case, or leaving them natural in color, maybe they would have decorated a wedding robe for a daughter. With birch bark as a base, a pattern is filled in with the quills, the two tones of the quills forming intricate designs. On any item that could have been decorated with beads, quills could also have been used. If you encounter a porcupine, tip your hat, say hello, and be on your way. This is truly an amazing animal, and if left alone, will do you no harm!
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