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The New World porcupines (Erethizontidae) are indigenous to [[North America]] and northern [[South America]]. They live in wooded areas and can climb trees, where some species spend their entire lives. They are less strictly nocturnal than their Old World counterparts and generally smaller.
 
Most porcupines are about {{convert|25|-|36|in|cm|-1|abbr=on|order=flip}} long, with a {{convert|8|-|10|in|cm|adj=on|abbr=on|order=flip}} long tail. Weighing {{convert|12|-|35|lb|0|abbr=on|order=flip}}, they are rounded, large, and slow, and use an [[Aposematism|aposematic]] strategy of defence. Porcupines' colouration consists of various shades of brown, grey and white. Porcupines' spiny protection resembles that of the only distantly related [[Erinaceomorpha|erinaceomorph]] [[hedgehog]]s and Australian [[monotreme]] [[echidna]]s as well as [[TenrecidaeTenrec|tenrecid]] [[tenrec]]s.
]] [[tenrec]]s.
 
==Etymology==
The word "porcupine" comes from the [[Latin]] ''porcus'' pig + ''spina'' spine, quill, via Old Italian (Italian "porcospino", thorn-pig)—[[Middle French]]—[[Middle English]].<ref>''Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary'', s.v. "[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/porcupine porcupine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170531000857/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/porcupine |date=2017-05-31 }}" . Retrieved March 26, 2015.</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Wedgwood|first=Hensleigh|author-link=Hensleigh Wedgwood|title=On False Etymologies|journal=Transactions of the Philological Society|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3924121;view=1up;seq=78|year=1855|issue=6|pages=68|access-date=2018-09-22|archive-date=2018-12-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204011835/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3924121;view=1up;seq=78|url-status=live}}</ref> A regional American name for the animal is "quill-pig".<ref>''Oxford English Dictionary'', s.v. "[http://dictionary.oed.com.floyd.lib.umn.edu/cgi/entry/50195130/50195130se36?queryword=quill+pig quill] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425150523/http://dictionary.oed.com.floyd.lib.umn.edu/cgi/entry/50195130/50195130se36?queryword=quill+pig |date=2012-04-25 }}" . Retrieved July 20, 2010.</ref>
 
A baby porcupine is a porcupette. When born, a porcupette's quills are soft hair; they harden within a few days, forming the sharp quills of adults.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reference.com/science/baby-porcupine-called-86e1b821d866e879|title=Reference.com|first=|last=|website=|publisher=|accessdate=|archive-date=2017-03-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310013219/https://www.reference.com/science/baby-porcupine-called-86e1b821d866e879|url-status=dead}}</ref>
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===Taxonomy===
A porcupine is any of 30 species of [[rodent]]s belonging to the families [[New World porcupine|Erethizontidae]] (genera: ''[[Prehensile-tailed porcupine|Coendou]]'', ''[[Erethizon]]'', and ''[[Bristle-spined rat|Chaetomys]]'') or [[Old World porcupine|Hystricidae]] (genera: ''[[Brush-tailed porcupine|Atherurus]]'', ''[[Hystrix (porcupinemammal)|Hystrix]]'', and ''[[Long-tailed porcupine|Trichys]]''). Porcupines vary in size considerably: [[Rothschild's porcupine]] of South America weighs less than a kilogram (2.2&nbsp; lb); the [[crested porcupine]] found in [[Italy]], [[North Africa]], and [[sub-Saharan Africa]] can grow to well over {{convert|27|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. The two families of porcupines are quite different, and although both belong to the [[Hystricognathi]] branch of the vast order [[Rodent]]ia, they are not closely related.
 
===Old World compared with New World species===
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===Diet===
The North American porcupine is a herbivore and often climbs trees for food; it eats leaves, herbs, twigs, and green plants such as [[clover]]. In the winter, it may eat bark.<ref name="NG">{{cite web |url=http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/porcupine/ |title=Porcupine |date=10 September 2010 |work=Animals |publisher=[[National Geographic]] |access-date=16 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170127023956/http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/porcupine/ |archive-date=27 January 2017 }}</ref><!-- ori link is https://web.archive.org/web/20110928005538/http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/porcupine/ but replaced w more updated versn --> The African porcupine is not a climber; instead, it forages on the ground.<ref name="NG"/> It is mostly [[Nocturnality|nocturnal]]<ref name="pornoc">{{cite web |url=http://www.nhm.org/site/explore-exhibits/permanent-exhibits/north-american-mammals/porcupine |title=North American porcupine – Erethizon dorsatum (Linnaeus, 1758) |publisher=Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County |access-date=July 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140607082910/http://www.nhm.org/site/explore-exhibits/permanent-exhibits/north-american-mammals/porcupine |archive-date=June 7, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> but will sometimes forage for food induring the day, eating bark, roots, fruits, berries, and farm crops. Porcupines have become a pest in [[Kenya]] and are eaten as a delicacy.<ref name="BBC">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4157330.stm|title=Porcupines raise thorny questions in Kenya|date=August 19, 2005|work=BBC News|access-date=September 21, 2009|archive-date=June 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619221722/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4157330.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
===Defence===
Defensive behaviour displays in a porcupine depend on sight, scent, and sound. Often, these displays are shown when a porcupine becomes agitated or annoyed. There are four main displays seen in a porcupine: (in order from least to most aggressive) quill erection, teeth clattering, odour emission, and attack.<ref name="NAP">{{cite book|last1=Roze|first1=Uldis|title=The North American Porcupine Second Edition|date=2009|publisher=Cornell University Press|location=Cornell University, United States of America|isbn=978-0-8014-4646-7|edition=Second}}</ref> A porcupine's colouring aids in part of its defence as most of the predators are [[nocturnal]] and colour -blind. A porcupine's markings are black and white. The dark body and coarse hair of the porcupine are a dark brown/black and when quills are raised, present a white strip down its back mimicking the look of a skunk. This, along with the raising of the sharp quills, deters predators. Along with the raising of the quills, porcupines clatter their teeth to warn predators not to approach. The incisors vibrate against each other, the strike zone shifts back, and the cheek teeth clatter. This behaviour is often paired with body shivering, which is used to further display the dangerous quills.<ref name="NAP" /> The rattling of quills is aided by the hollow quills at the back end of the porcupine.<ref name="Antibiotic">{{cite journal|last1=Roze, Locke|first1=Uldis, David|title=Antibiotic Properties of Porcupine Quills|journal=Journal of Chemical Ecology|date=March 1990|volume=16|issue=3|pages=725–734|doi=10.1007/bf01016483|pmid=24263588|s2cid=2045335}}</ref> The use of odorodour is when the sight and sound have failed. An unpleasant scent is produced from the skin above the tail in times of stress and is often seen with a quill erection.<ref name="Warning Odor">{{cite journal|last1=Guang|first1=Li|title=Warning Odor of the North American Porcupine|journal=Journal of Chemical Ecology|date=1997|volume=23|issue=12|pages=2737–2754|doi=10.1023/a:1022511026529|bibcode=1997JSP....23.2737L|s2cid=36405223}}</ref> If these processes fail, the porcupine will attack by running sideways or backwards into predators. A porcupine's tail can also be swung in the direction of the predator; if contact is made, the quills could be impaled into the predator causing injury or death.<ref name="Quills Kill">{{cite journal|last1=Mori|first1=Emiliano|title=The defense strategy of the crested porcupine Hystrix cristata|journal=ResearchGate|date=October 2013}}</ref>
 
====Quills====
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Porcupines' quills, or [[spine (zoology)|spines]], take on various forms, depending on the species, but all are modified hairs coated with thick plates of [[keratin]],<ref name=Attenborough>{{cite AV media | author=David Attenborough | title=Attenborough's Natural Curiosities 2 | volume=Armoured Animals | year=2014 | publisher=UKTV}}</ref> and embedded in the [[skin]] musculature. Old World porcupines have quills embedded in clusters, whereas in New World porcupines, single quills are interspersed with bristles, underfur, and hair.
 
Quills are released by contact or may drop out when the porcupine shakes its body. New quills grow to replace lost ones.<ref name=Attenborough/><ref name="NG"/> Despite what is commonly believed, porcupines do not have the ability tocan't launch their quills at range.<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle= Porcupine |volume= 22 | page = 101 second para |quote= The spines are mixed with long soft hairs |last1= Flower |first1= William Henry |last2= Lydekker |first2= Richard }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Shepard, Thomas Goodwin|title=The natural history of secession|url=https://archive.org/details/naturalhistorys01goodgoog|year=1865|publisher=Derby & Miller|pages=[https://archive.org/details/naturalhistorys01goodgoog/page/n95 78]–}}</ref>
 
There are some possible [[antibiotics|antibiotic]] properties within the quills, specifically associated with the free fatty acids coating the quills.<ref name="Antibiotic" /> The antibiotic properties are believed to aid a porcupine that has suffered from self-injury.
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Porcupines are seldom eaten in [[Western culture]] but are eaten often in [[Southeast Asia]], particularly [[Vietnam]], where the prominent use of them as a food source has contributed to declines in porcupine populations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100825103830.htm |title=Wild Southeast Asian porcupines under threat due to illegal hunting, researchers find |publisher=Sciencedaily.com |date=2010-08-25 |access-date=2012-02-20 |archive-date=2019-04-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421160439/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100825103830.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2010.07.030|title=The conservation impact of commercial wildlife farming of porcupines in Vietnam|year=2010|last1=Brooks|first1=Emma G.E.|last2=Roberton|first2=Scott I.|last3=Bell|first3=Diana J.|journal=Biological Conservation|volume=143|issue=11|pages=2808 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Ettinger, Powell |url=http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/porcupine-vietnam.html#cr |title=Wildlife Extra News – Illegal hunting threatens Vietnam's wild porcupines |publisher=Wildlifeextra.com |date=2010-08-30 |access-date=2012-02-20 |archive-date=2019-01-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190128082742/http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/porcupine-vietnam.html#cr |url-status=live }}</ref> <!-- As mentioned, in Kenya porcupines are eaten as a delicacy.<ref name="BBC"/> -->
 
Naturalist [[William J. Long]] reported the taste of the North American porcupine as "vile" and "malodorous" and delightful only to a lover of strong cheese. With regards to a Maine state law that restricted the killing of porcupines to keep them available as an emergency game for people lost in the woods, he noted: "It is undoubtedly a good law; but I cannot now imagine any oneanyone being grateful for it, unless the stern alternative were death or porcupine."<ref>{{cite book|last=Long|first=William J.|title=Wood Folk at School|publisher=Ginn & Company|location=Boston and London|year=1902|pages=116}}</ref>
 
More commonly, their quills and guard hairs are used for traditional decorative clothing; for example, their guard hairs are used in the creation of the [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] [[Roach (headdress)|"porky roach"]] headdress. The main quills may be dyed, and then applied in combination with thread to embellish leather accessories, such as knife sheaths and leather bags. [[Lakota people|Lakota]] women would harvest the quills for [[quillwork]] by throwing a blanket over a porcupine and retrieving the quills left stuck in the blanket.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://aktalakota.stjo.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8681 |access-date=29 June 2013 |title=Lakota Quillwork Art and Legend |archive-date=20 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320012129/http://aktalakota.stjo.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8681 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 
The presence of barbs, acting like anchors, causes increased pain when removing a quill that has pierced the skin.<ref name=Attenborough/> The shape of the barbs makes the quills effective for penetrating the skin and for remaining in place.<ref name=Cho2012>{{cite journal|doi=10.1073/pnas.1216441109|title=Microstructured barbs on the North American porcupine quill enable easy tissue penetration and difficult removal|year=2012|last1=Cho|first1=W. K.|last2=Ankrum|first2=J. A.|last3=Guo|first3=D.|last4=Chester|first4=S. A.|last5=Yang|first5=S. Y.|last6=Kashyap|first6=A.|last7=Campbell|first7=G. A.|last8=Wood|first8=R. J.|last9=Rijal|first9=R. K.|display-authors=9|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|volume=109|issue=52|pages=21289–94|last10=Karnik|first10=R.|last11=Langer|first11=R.|last12=Karp|first12=J. M.|pmid=23236138|pmc=3535670|bibcode=2012PNAS..10921289C|doi-access=free}}</ref> The quills have inspired research for such applications as the design of hypodermic needles and surgical staples.<ref name=Cho2012/><ref name=":0">{{Citation|title=Porcupines Give You 30,000 Reasons to Back Off {{!}} Deep Look|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZphlCdI2yqA| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/ZphlCdI2yqA| archive-date=2021-10-30|language=en|access-date=2020-05-14}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In contrast to the current design for surgical staples, the porcupine quill and barb design would allow easy and painless insertion, as the staple would stay in the skin using the anchored barb design rather than being bent under the skin like traditional staples.<ref name=":0" /> Porcupines are also sometimes kept as [[exotic pet|exotic pets]].
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