Porcupine

Family Erethizontidae

Quills

The porcupine's chief defense is its quills, sharp spines distributed across the rodent's back, sides, legs, tail and head. They may be as dense as 150 per square inch, giving one animal as many as 30,000 quills. Porcupines do not throw their quills; unfortunate attackers approach closely enough to be swatted by the tail or brush against the animal. Like the related ordinary hairs, porcupine quills grow back when they come out.

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When threatened, a porcupine will raise its quills. This is the piloerection reflex, the same as the goose bump reflex in humans.

Related Topics:
Piloerection - Goose bump

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A porcupine can defend itself by hiding its bare face from an attacker and keeping its bare belly to the ground. It may swat its tail at an assailant. The quills are not poisoned, but animals may die from a porcupine encounter if the quills prevent eating. Porcupines often fall on their own quills. Likely as an evolutionary result, the quills possess mild antibiotic properties.

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Quills are sharp-pointed, fitted with microscopic barbs, and expand on contact with warm flesh. Muscle contractions in a quill victim work the quill deeper, as much as 2 cm per day unless the quills are removed promptly.

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Male porcupines use urine to soften the females' quills before mating.

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Fishers sometimes successfully attack porcupines by biting their faces.

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