An animal that has 30,000 quills on its body is not exactly your go-to meal is it? The meat itself tastes like pork to some, and chicken to others. Bobcats, cougars and fishers have learned that a porcupine has no quills on its stomach. Bears have caused significant damage to some stands of timber, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. Porcupine’s quills are black and white and this aids in part of its defense as most of the predators are nocturnal and color blind. Chipmunks are known for their chubby cheeks, big eyes, and bushy tails. The next time the dragon flew over to their island the teddy bears all turned themselves into porcupines. Bobcats, cougars and fishers have learned that a porcupine has no quills on its stomach. Porcupines are large, slow rodents with sharp needles on their backs. Porcupines can really blow our minds. Porcupines might seem big, but they’re mostly quills and bones and from a 40-pound porcupine you might end up with only 3 pounds of meat. The porcupine’s long quills rest softly on its back in their relaxed position as it nibbles on a pine branch. Is Teddy Bear The Talking Porcupine a Hoax? North American porcupines also eat fruit, leaves, and springtime buds. Mountain beavers (Aplondontia rufa) 5. There are 58 species of porcupines belonging to two families which are quite different. Tagged fishers are often found with quills embedded deep within the skin from previous encounters. Though they may be a nuisance to the fisher, the quills do not seem to have any life-threatening effects. They attract rumor and tabloid-style coverage, most of it myth. Other porcupine species live in Africa, Europe, and Asia. They seem so awkward and clumsy that one wouldn’t suspect they can climb trees let alone sleep in them but that is exactly what they do. "Field Notes" is produced by the Montana Natural History Center. Field mice, such as voles, deer mice, and other small rodents. As he winces back to my side, I begin to wonder what type of animal has the ability to prey upon a porcupine without receiving a penalty for its meal. Fishers are one of the few predators that will eat the thorny little beast. Both took special interest in porcupines. At least the New World porcupines do. It is a large rodent encountered equally in the “Old World” and in North America and northern South America. A plant that is nurtured and cultivated by one gardener may be yanked out unapologetically by the next, in favor of something preferable. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Porcupines are a larger animal and they don't exist on ants like echidnas. My dog’s nose shoots high into the air as a cool breeze moves gently through his fur. He begins to filter through the familiar scents of the forest, recognizing a particularly enticing one. I know that porcupines are kind of like over-exposed celebrities. So one of these predators will sometimes kill and eat a porcupine by flipping it onto its back and biting into its vulnerable belly. This can be a tricky question to answer. When you look at pigs, their snout is obviously at the forefront of how they interact with their environment. And even though they can eat solid food immediately, they will nurse for four months. The porcupine is the second largest rodent in North America, second only to the beaver. Or humans. ("Fieldnotes," June 2, 2015 and August 13, 2019. Their quills can be easily dispatched by them but are incredibly hard to take out when lodged in ones skin or fur. Porcupines are typically not aggressive or dangerous animals. Cats have them, rats have them, and so do dogs, beavers, sea lions, walruses, and almost all mammals. By Leah Grunzke. Here is a list of species that are known to strip tree bark. “Bears do not typically eat porcupines.” An examination found spines from the porcupine had pierced the bear’s stomach, likely causing it intense pain and preventing it … The Canadian or North American porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum, like other New World porcupines, spends some of … Because they eat them. This tactic may work for many predators, but it is useless against the fisher. The attack usually ensues in a circle, as the porcupine is constantly trying to turn its quills towards the fisher in order to shield its face. Once on the ground, the agile fisher now has the advantage over its sluggish prey. Find more info here. Sugar concentrations vary, depending on the tree species and the season. This report considers why bears cause such damage and what managers can do to reduce the damage. Fisher (Pekania pennanti), the carnivorous mustelid that co-evolved with porcupines, A Fisher's Guide To Preying On Porcupines, Freshwater Diatoms: Slimy, Single-Celled Stream Quality Monitors ("Fieldnotes," July 18-20, 2010, July 26 & 31, 2015 and September 1, 2019), Do Noxious Weeds Owe Their Success To Soil Microbes? They attract rumor and tabloid-style coverage, most of it myth. Sugar concentrations vary, depending on the tree species and the season. Often, the attack can take over a half an hour until the fisher can inflict a lethal bite. Three animals, however, has figured out how to eat porcupines. I know that porcupines are kind of like over-exposed celebrities. Porcupines face enemies quills facing upwards and outwards. Porcupine young are able to climb soon after they are born; their feet have long curved claws. They don’t have time to climb no damn trees. Eaten by very many animals their digestive system known as bezoars but farm... 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