what good are porcupines
They are terrific climbers because of their long claws, and have excellent balance. Porcupines are mainly solitary and nocturnal but sometimes forage during the day. They can live from 10 to 20 years. Porcupines are considered to be intelligent, rapid learners with good memories.hey have dark brown fur, covered with thick barbed quills. One porcupine can have as many as 30,000 quills! Each quill is tipped with microscopic barbs or hooks that drive them deeper into the flesh of unlucky predators. Most porcupines have a robust body, small head, small ears, short legs, and a short, thick tail.
The porcupines found in North and South America are good climbers and spend much of their time in trees. Some even have prehensile (gripping) tails to aid in climbing. The North American porcupine is the only species that lives in the U.S. and Canada, and is the largest of all porcupines.A single animal may have 30,000 or more quills. North American porcupines use their large front teeth to satisfy a healthy appetite for wood.here are about two dozen porcupine species, and all boast a coat of needle-like quills to give predators a sharp reminder that this animal is no easy meal. Some quills, like those of Africa's crested porcupine, are nearly a foot (30 centimeters) long.
Porcupines are nocturnal and have poor vision but a very good sense of smell. Porcupines generally like to eat the evergreen tree inner bark and needles, but they do find some hardwoods palatable. They also eat aquatic plants, berries, seeds, flowers, nuts, and grasses.he porcupine is one of the largest rodents in North America, second only to the beaver, and porcupines grow to a length of 2 to 31/2 feet, tail included. They usually weigh between 8 and 14 pounds, although they have been known to weigh upwards of 35 pounds.