Porcupines

• Main Author: Schemnitz, Sanford D.
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln 1994
• Subjects: Environmental Sciences; Prairie River; Tundra
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdmhandbook/17; https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/icwdmhandbook/article/1017/viewcontent/ro_b81.pdf

Porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum), sometimes called “porkies” or “quill pigs,” are heavy-bodied, shortlegged, slow, and awkward rodents, with a waddling gait. Adults are typically 25 to 30 inches (64 to 76 cm) long and weigh 10 to 30 pounds (4.5 to 13.5 kg). They rely on their sharp, barbed quills (up...