FYI
While porcupines continue to dine out in tree tops on all but the coldest winter nights, they snuggle into warm rock crevices and hollow logs during the day. Come sunny, mild spells in March, however, they may be seen catching some rays in the bare branches overhead.
Quills:
Porcupines have about 30,000 quills, up to 10cm long, loosely attached to a muscle layer that raises and lowers the spikes. Spring newborns are fully armed with soft quills that dry and harden within an hour of birth.
Tail:
The lightning-fast swat of the porcupine’s powerful tail drives the quills into any predator that gets to close. This probably gave rise to the myth that a porcupine can shoot its quills.
Salt Fix:
Driven by a taste for salt, especially in spring, porkies will nibble tools that have been handled by sweaty humans. And since many wood preservatives contain high concentrations of salt, cottages and outhouses are also popular targets.
Calls:
Porcupines are known to mumble, hiss, grunt, whine, wail, and chatter their teeth.
GESTATION BIRTHWEIGHT
Chipmunk 35 days Chipmunk 3 grams
Raccoon 63 days Raccoon 75 grams
Wolf 63 days Porcupine 490 grams
Beaver 105 days Bear 500 grams
Porcupine 210 days
Human 280 days
MAXIMUM LIFESPAN IN THE WILD AVERAGE LITTER
Deer Mouse 5 years Wolf 5-6
Chipmunk 7 years Raccoon 3-6
Beaver 10 years Chipmunk 3-5
Raccoon 13 years Beaver 3-4
Wolf 15 years Porcupine 1
Porcupine 18 years
Information taken from Cottage Life