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Animal profile

North American Porcupine

Erethizon dorsatum

MammaliaConiferous, mixed and deciduous forest, and shrubland across northern and western North AmericaLeast Concern

Field profile

The North American porcupine is a stout, slow-moving arboreal rodent armoured with roughly 30,000 quills. It feeds on bark, cambium, buds and leaves, and is active mostly at night. Despite its bulk it climbs well, using long curved claws and a stiff bristly tail.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2026-04-01

North American Porcupine

Porcupines cannot throw their quills

The quills detach on contact, not in flight. Each one is loosely rooted and barbed at the tip, so a slap of the tail plants dozens into an attacker, and the microscopic barbs make them far harder to pull out than to push in.

Read with evidence →

North American Porcupine | Daily Animal Facts