How Does a Porcupine Shoot Its Quills

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Wonderopolis

SCIENCE — Life Science

Have You Ever Wondered...

Can porcupines shoot their quills?
Why do porcupines have quills?
Do porcupines ever get stuck by their own quills?

Do you love animals? We do! Aren't there some animals you just want to grab and give them a big hug? How about a koala bear? Definitely huggable! A panda bear? Yes! A porcupine? Wait just a second…

What's the big deal? Why don't you want to hug the adorable little porcupine? Oh yeah…we almost forgot. They're covered in sharp quills!

Chances are that much of your knowledge of porcupines may have come from old cartoons on television. Porcupines are popular cartoon characters because of their quills. You might have even seen a cartoon porcupine aim and shoot his quills at another animal.

The cartoon version of the porcupine, however, is a far cry from the reality. In real life, porcupines cannot aim and shoot their quills at another animal or a human being. That doesn't mean they can't be dangerous, though!

The prickliest of all rodent species, the porcupine's Latin name means "quill pig." There are over two dozen different types of porcupines, but they all have coats covered in sharp quills that help protect them from predators. The quills are modified hairs made of keratin, which is the same material that your hair and fingernails are made from.

Although porcupines can't shoot their quills like arrows, the quills do detach easily. If a predator were to attack a porcupine, the slightest touch can lodge dozens of quills in the predator's body.

The quills are like tiny needles with sharp tips and barbs on the ends. Their design allows them to pierce a predator's skin easily, but the barbs on the ends make them difficult to remove. Getting rid of quills can be a painful and difficult process. Predators usually learn an important lesson from their first encounter with a porcupine!

The only species of porcupine that lives in the United States is the North American porcupine. It's the largest of all porcupines and can have more than 30,000 quills on its body! North American porcupines love to eat wood, including tree bark. They also eat fruit and leaves. Since they're good climbers, they tend to spend a lot of time in trees.

Being a larger animal, though, they also tend to fall out of trees regularly. What happens when a porcupine falls out of a tree? You guessed it. It sticks itself with its own quills! Although they're designed to deter predators, porcupine quills stick porcupines themselves more often than other animals!

Luckily, porcupine quills have another feature that prevents them from being a deadly nuisance. Each quill has a greasy coating that contains an antibiotic material. This protects the porcupine from developing infections when it accidentally sticks itself!

Wonder What's Next?

Mmmm! Tomorrow's Wonder of the Day is a delicious treat with a long past!

Try It Out

We hope you enjoyed learning more about prickly porcupines! Keep the fun going by exploring the following activities with a friend or family member:

What happens when hungry lion cubs encounter a porcupine in the wild? Find out by watching National Geographic's Porcupine vs. Lion video online. Did that turn out how you thought it would? Why or why not?
Have you ever seen a porcupine up close? While we don't recommend getting up close and personal with a porcupine in the wild, there are many zoos and animal sanctuaries that feature porcupines amongst their collections. Do some Internet research to find the nearest zoo or animal sanctuary with porcupines, and then plan a trip to visit them with an adult friend or family member. Don't forget to take pictures to share with your friends!
Put yourself in the paws of a porcupine. How would you feel being prickly all over? Do other animals avoid you because of your quills? What about those sad days when you just need a hug? What's a poor porcupine to do? Use your imagination to create a greeting card that you could send to a porcupine to brighten his day. Be sure to design it with both pictures and words. What images would make a porcupine feel less self-conscious? What could you write that would convey a message of hope amidst struggles? Have fun designing your own unique porcupine pick-me-up card!

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How Does a Porcupine Shoot Its Quills

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How Does a Porcupine Shoot Its Quills