Tree Porcupine Facts

A tree porcupine eats a plant.

According to TheKidsWorld.net, the tree porcupine is one of North America's largest rodents. The tree porcupine weighs between 10 and 20 pounds, is covered with over 20,000 quills, and loves chewing on anything made of wood. These are slow-moving animals found mainly throughout the southern United States and parts of Canada.

Characteristics

The tree porcupine has a large middle-section of it's body. It also has claws and soles on its feet. The tail is spineless and quite long. According to TheKidsWorld.net, the tail contributes to nine percent of the tree porcupine's total weight. The tree porcupine is different than a different species in that it spends most of its time climbing or in the trees. The tree porcupine is also prone to making a variety of different noises.

Classification

The tree porcupine's common name is prehensile-tailed porcupine, coendou. It is part of the animalia kingdom and Chordata phylum. It also also part of the mammalia class, rodentia order and erethizontidae family.

Fun Facts

Tree porcupines are herbivores, meaning their diet consists of mainly of leaves, stems, roots, fruits, flowers and other plants. Gestation for a tree porcupine lasts approximately seven months. When a new tree porcupine is born, it usually has redish-colored hair and softer porcupines that turn hard with age. They are sexually mature by the time the reach two years old. Tree porcupine's are nocturnal animals that use their whiskers to help them navigate in the darkness.

Misconception

Contrary to the common idea that tree porcupine's shoot off their quills when confronted with danger, the porcupine actually just raises them into the air as a defense mechanism (similar to a dog's hair or human goosebumps).

Porcupines as a Food Source

A tree porcupine may often be eaten by another animal and even some humans. Sometimes, they are eaten by South American Indians. The quills of the porcupine can be used as a decoration material for the tribes.

References

• Porcupine Facts
• The Tree Porcupine