In the 1800s, when pioneers kept large quantities of salt in their cabins, porcupines reportedly chewed through walls at night to get at the stash. The North American Porcupine is an herbivore and sticks to a diet rich in herbs, leaves, twigs and green plants. It eats leaves, twigs, and green plants like skunk cabbage and clover. Lifespan. But start researching porcupine diets and you’ll soon land in Bigfoot’s lair. We have a porcupine that visits every day; he is fantastic. We have a cabin in PA and as a kid I learned quickly not to leave things outside that you didn’t want to get gnawed by a porcupine. I used to see porcupines regularly in my rural area of Washington state, and my dog had an occasional encounter. That was really funny and very intelligently presented! The female porcupines are found to give birth to approximately two to four newborn porcupines. It often climbs trees to find food. Poor thing must be 100 years old; partially bald and missing most of its quills, it wanders around my yard only eating my lawn. Porcupines are nocturnal herbivores and eat a large variety of vegetation including plants, shrubs and leaves. The following day, kitty was sitting on the bottom step of the deck and Porky appeared from around the corner. The North American porcupine is the only species that lives in the U.S. and Canada, and is the largest of all porcupines. The female will give birth to a baby, called a “porcupette.” The porcupettes are born with short, soft, flexible spines that harden over time. The North American Porcupine is a well-protected, plant-eating rodent that spends much of its time in trees, looking for food. Yes, they will chew piping and can do various damage to cabins. Must their food be salty? Fantastic essay on our prickly rodent. They are sometimes hunted and eaten in Kenya for this reason. They have literally devastated everything with a tuber, or corm in our garden in the last few days. It’s well documented in the literature, and it’s based on porcupine physiology. I had no idea what that was from…neither did anyone else! Then one night my dog was barking and I saw a large lump of quills or fur…I wasn’t sure…moving around the deck area. • African crested porcupines are the largest porcupines in the world and the largest rodent in Africa. Related Articles. Hiking in Mt. Like outhouses. Aww, that’s so cute <3 I hope he is ok, and that you did indeed grow the grass just for him. I guess I have a permanent guest. The North American porcupine is an herbivore. Tree bark. During the summer, they eat twigs, roots, stems, berries, and other vegetation. Faces, and gunstocks, are at least in the realm of possibility. Your car, on the other hand, could. But my interest was, would they shred pine cones and leave a pile of seeds almost as if they sucked on the inside like we would on a ear of corn after devouring the kernels? Adult porcupines are about 30 inches in length, including a 6- to 10-inch tail. Plywood. I am blogging about it on 8/1/2017 at http://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/2017/08/01/who-ate-the-doorknob/. We take lettuce that's going off and feed it to the geese! The North American Porcupine is the second largest rodent in North America, out-sized only by beavers, and is characterized by its stout, lumbering form and spiny coat. WOW. One has to be sensible. Other than the North American species, porcupine are also found in Africa, Europe and Asia. The South American range spans from Southern Mexico through Ecuador and northern Argentina. Would love to find a method short of shooting them to stop the destruction of my dwarf pear trees. One of the larger species in the family of New World porcupines, the North American porcupine is 86 cm long and it weighs up to 18 kg. I’m serious. The North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), also known as the Canadian porcupine, is a large rodent in the New World porcupine family. Their preferred food is the inner bark of hemlock and sugar maple trees, although they will dine on many other species. North American porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum) feast on a high-potassium, low-sodium diet of foliage, causing them to excrete high levels of sodium. Porcupines, How can we get rid of one that is destroying our weekend cabin during the week. Porcupines are generalists, eating a wide range of plant material. It eats leaves, twigs, and green plants like skunk cabbage and clover. It ended up in a corner…apparently it was a large porcupine. Thank You. Labor-intensive but effective. They may actually eat bark in the winter and will climb trees in an effort to find food. Not “porcupines eat sasquatch” untrue – but in no way a major factor in timber harvests. Winter feeding by porcupines may sometimes cause the decline or mortality of trees due to … we have a few up here but I found an odd toilet area and I have spent a life time in the bush and can not identify it and it leads me to think porcupine by the process of elimination. After breeding, each species has a slightly different gestation period. Porcupines are generally herbivorous, ... It’s difficult to determine exactly what porcupines eat on a species basis but it has been recorded that species in North America such as Erethizon dorsatum have a diet high in potassium and low in sodium from the foliage they choose. This creates a sodium-potassium imbalance. A single animal may have 30,000 or more quills. Porcupines are generalists, eating a wide range of plant material depending upon season. If the female decides she accepts the winner, he will spray her with urine to signal the beginning of the mating sequence. I cannot imagine waking up to a kiss from a quilled rodent. Porcupines live up to 20 years in captivity. What to do….. Not that this fact is likely to dissuade the True Bigfoot Believers. Porcupine winter dens may be found in hollow trees and logs, small caves and rock piles. It’s a veritable feast. The North American porcupine is an herbivore. Arboreal individuals need to be provided with lots of climbing opportunity and fresh browse. I also have a porcupine that lives under my shed. I went looking for her and about 300 yards down the road, I discovered her lying down within 20 feet of Porky. The reintroduction of fishers, a major porcupine predator, keeps their populations in check. Thanks a lot I learned a lot about porcupines I have also heard they like to hide in culverts in small prairie towns , high-potassium, low-sodium diet of foliage, Weird Nature: An Owl That Uses Dung Tools, Of “Pizzlies” and Goose Dinners: The Latest Research on Polar Bears, Urban Wild: Flying Squirrels of the Beltway, physiologically tolerate this imbalance at times of the year, created a harrowing situation for nature writer and ethicist Tovar Cerulli, Catskill Mountaineer offers this tantalizing sentence, http://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/2017/08/01/who-ate-the-doorknob/. Porcupine eats. Does a porcupine leave quills as a down payment on such a fine piece of property? Most are dark colored, with lighter colored spines or spine tips. These slow-moving animals have sharp, needle-like quills protecting their body. This idea was popularized on the regrettable Animal Planet show Finding Bigfoot. Adult porcupines are about 30 inches in length, including a 6- to 10-inch tail. But in case you’re thinking about not rinsing off your face after a hard day’s hike on the Appalachian Trail? Do porcupines eat human food like rice, beans, yam etc? This type of porcupine mainly lives in trees. They may actually eat bark in the winter and will climb trees in an effort to find food. They also eat nuts, tubers, seeds, grass, leaves, fruit and buds.Though they don't eat meat, porcupines chew on bones to sharpen their teeth. In … Cerulli writes eloquently of cultivating a mindful relationship with wildlife. Ouch. That a discussion with 36 wonderful remarks on this subject , is this popular makes it even more impressive. While porcupines do not make a good pet, they do bear a resemblance to hedgehogs, which can make a wonderful pet to the right owner. Adult porcupines average 9–13 lbs. Chapter 2 My visiting porcupine: More from Matthew. They attract rumor and tabloid-style coverage, most of it myth. My only worry was harm to either of them, but I think I can rest easy. Horses sweat too. Have just read your blog about porcupines with great interest.The “B’S” are back here hungrier than ever. Now, I am worried about my car, my cats, and myself. They patrol a territory, which is chosen carefully to provide the most bountiful feeding areas. He ignores me and we have a 10′ “personal space” agreement. There are three species of porcupines designated as new world: the North American porcupine, the Brazilian porcupine, and the dwarf porcupine. It is North America’s second-heaviest rodent, weighing only slightly less on average than the North American beaver. Bigfoot bones. My back yard is 20 feet of weeds, grass, and creeping ground cover, separating my home from forest. Porcupines have four incisors—two above and two below that are bright orange, strong and adapted to gnawing. Porcupines really do frequent backwoods outhouses. I have an injured porcupine living on my property and the only thing it will eat is the leaves of cedar trees. It is in a large pile, as porcupines often stay in a tree for a while. While Porky was out and about, I placed a few bowls of ammonia at his entry point under my shed. Rainier National Park, we noticed a deposit of quills at the edge of a platform toilet(comes with a view). New World Porcupines – The twelve different New World species can be found from the Arctic Circle in North America to South America. Geographic Range. Terrestrial, or ground dwelling animals should be provided with more opportunities for ground-level exploration. In the winter, it may eat bark. Great Article Matt! North American porcupines are herbivores that feed a lot on herbs, grasses, wood, tree bark, foliage, buds and apples. Eventually we hit upon the plan of totally enclosing the vehicle in wire upon arrival at the weekend cabin. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Animals.NET aim to promote interest in nature and animals among children, as well as raise their awareness in conservation and environmental protection. Sometimes I just stand there and let him graze. Bones, especially the shed antlers of deer, are chewed for the nutrient salts such as calcium that they contain. Its skull is heavily constructed; the small, rounded head h… Sorely. If he gets too close to other fauna, I shoo him away with a broom. Porcupines are found throughout most of Alaska and Canada, in the northern part of the Great Lakes region, all throughout the west and northeast regions of the United States. Of cultivating a mindful relationship with wildlife the beaver is bigger creeping ground cover, separating home! Plant-Eating rodent that is larger than the North American porcupine is the only species that under! Hit upon the plan of totally enclosing the vehicle in wire upon arrival at the weekend during! 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