Where do porcupines live in nature? American Porcupines Population status, threats and conservation.

Habitat

Porcupines (lat.Erethizon dorsatum) inhabit much of North America between the Arctic Ocean and northern Mexico. Widespread in almost all parts of Alaska and Canada, in the northern part of the Great Lakes region, throughout the western and northeastern regions of the United States. Populations have been extensively studied in the eastern deciduous forests of New York, Massachusetts, and the woodlands of Texas.

Description

The North American porcupine is the second largest rodent in North America after the beaver and has the northernmost range of all porcupines in the world. They are sturdy, short-legged mammals that, in addition to the pads, nose and abdomen, are completely covered with hair and needles of various lengths. The tips of the long guard hairs are lighter than the rest and have a yellow or white tint. The hair on the belly is sparse and ranges from black to brown. The tail is very muscular. Its upper surface is heavily covered with needles. The porcupine's tail is an excellent tool for fighting predators and a good tool for climbing. Hair and a thick layer of fat help the porcupine to keep warm in winter.

Life style

In the Pacific Northwest, porcupines mostly live on the ground. But in eastern North America, they make tree dwellings. The amount of time they spend on the ground is directly related to the amount of vegetation that exists to feed and protect from predators. Porcupines move slowly, so they have a unique anti-predator system to compensate for their lack of speed. First, they climb trees to avoid danger. If this is not possible, then they rely on their needles, a large number of teeth, and also make aching sounds to scare off enemies. The quills of the North American porcupine are reshaped hairs that have microscopic teeth at the ends and are filled with a spongy matrix. On different parts of the body, needles differ in length, flexibility, color, diameter and prickle. Each adult porcupine has approximately 30,000 needles. Predators often die as a result of needle penetration and subsequent infection. Porcupines have excellent sense of smell, hearing and taste, but poor eyesight. They do not hibernate in winter, but spend a lot of time in dens and dens to wait out the bad weather.

Trees play an important role in porcupine life and are also its main food resource during the winter months when all leafy plants are dormant. They have excellent adaptations for life in and around trees, such as long claws and textured legs. Porcupines can easily climb large trees and are often found on small branches.

Food habits

It feeds on all types of plant foods. In Alaska, the inner bark (phloem and cambium layers) of spruce, birch and hemlock, together with needles, is the main winter food for porcupines. In spring and summer, they eat buds and young leaves of birch, aspen, poplar and willow, but be sure to monitor the level of tannin. Since they are completely vegetarians and a large number of plants are very low in sodium, they need an extra serving to balance their potassium levels. As a result, they look for different sources of salt, and feed on the horns and bones of slaughtered animals for sodium and calcium.

Life cycle

Reproduction takes place from late September to early November. The males look for susceptible females. If more than one male takes an interest in the same female, they will struggle to mate with her. After a gestation period of about 210 days, one baby is born. At birth, they are covered with long grayish-black hairs and needles, weigh from 0.5 to 1 kg, and their eyes are open.

All parental care is left to the mother. In the first six weeks of a porcupine's life, its mother is nearby, she provides him with food. Mother and baby meet only at night, and during the day the baby is hidden on the ground, while the mother sleeps in the trees. Over the next several months, the distance between the young porcupine and its mother increases steadily. By mid-October, the child completely loses contact with the mother and remains alone. He must survive his first winter himself. Males have virtually no contact with their offspring.

Population status, threats and protection

Porcupine populations are stable in Alaska, and are generally widespread enough to avoid serious tree damage. Alaska natives eat their meat as a delicacy in many parts of the state, and their needles are dyed and used in jewelry and various ornaments.

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Appearance

The North American porcupine is the second largest rodent in North America after the beaver: its body length is 60-90 cm, a thick tail is up to 30 cm long; weight 5-14 kg. The body is covered from head to tail with yellowish-white serrated needles (up to 30 thousand pieces) with black or brown ends. The guard hairs are somewhat longer than the needles. Contrasting black and white coloring should alert potential attackers to danger.

Lifestyle and nutrition

The North American porcupine is common in the forested regions of North America from Alaska to northern Mexico. It can be found in many landscapes - from tundra to semi-desert, although it prefers coniferous and aspen forests. In different areas, porcupines can live both mainly in trees and in dens, climbing trees only for feeding. How much time they spend on the ground depends on the number of predators and the density of edible terrestrial vegetation in the area. The way of life is predominantly solitary, although in winter porcupines sometimes settle in several individuals in one shelter and feed in groups of up to 20 individuals. He is active all year round, at night.

It feeds on all types of plant foods - bark, acorns and nuts, young leaves, herbs and, especially willingly, apples. Often, for several days, it gnaws at the same tree (for example, sugar maple). Loves salt very much.

The North American porcupine has a very peculiar defense system. In case of danger, he first of all seeks to climb a tree. If this is not possible, the North American porcupine adopts a defensive posture - raising its needles threateningly and beginning to beat from side to side with its tail, while snapping its teeth. The raised needles sit unstably - this allows the porcupine to quickly free itself if the predator does attack. Few predators run the risk of “messing with” the porcupine; it is primarily hunted by ilka, wolverine and puma. When attacking a porcupine, they seek to knock it over on its back in order to grab onto its unprotected belly.

Reproduction

The mating season is in October-November. Females at this time make high, falsetto sounds, calling for males. Porcupines are polygamous; the male takes turns mating with several females. After 210 days of gestation, in April-June, the female gives birth to a single cub - well developed, sighted and large. The weight of a newborn is 400-500 g. Half an hour after birth, the needles harden. From the first day of his life he follows his mother and shows well all the typical defensive reactions. Milk feeding is repeated frequently. When feeding, the female sits down, leaning on her thighs and tail. The female and the cub usually meet only at night, during the day it hides on the ground, while it sleeps in a tree. The cub becomes independent in the 5th month. Females reach sexual maturity on the 25th month, males - on the 29th month.

The porcupine lives up to 18, but in nature, on average, up to 6 years, due to grinding of teeth.

Economic value

The animal does not bring noticeable harm. Gnaws at the bark of trees, including some fruit and ornamental trees. In search of salt in winter, he goes out onto roads sprinkled with de-icing salt; may gnaw on unattended tools with wooden handles, boat oars, saddles, car tires.

The American Indians ate porcupine meat and used needles to decorate hunting bags, boots, and other items.

Notes

see also

Categories:

• Animals alphabetically
• Out of danger views
• American porcupines
• Animals described in 1758
• Mammals of North America
• Monotypic genera of mammals

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See what "North American porcupine" is in other dictionaries:

north American porcupine - ursonas statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Erethizon dorsatum angl. American porcupine; Canadian porcupine; North American porcupine vok. Urson rus. North American porcupine pranc. porc épic nord ... ... Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

The body size of the North American porcupine is 65-85 cm, the tail is up to 30 cm. This is the only North American animal with needles. Porcupine tracks have the form of 5 fingers with a small pad in the middle.

The North American porcupine is found in most of the territory of Canada and in the western regions of the United States, going east to Pennsylvania.

There are similar species in the south of Central Asia and in Azerbaijan.

Porcupine is nocturnal, but during the day you can see a porcupine crawling through the forest or climbing high on a tree and curled up there in a large black club-block. Needle-hunters arrange for themselves a lair in a hollow or a cave. North American porcupines make sounds such as grunts, growls, or high pitched squeals. They can also be found near the highway. Material from the site

The needles of a porcupine cub are soft at birth, but they harden in the first fifteen minutes. Avoid getting close to porcupines and allowing your pets to come near them: if bitten by a North American porcupine, you can catch rabies.

Needles feed on leaves, shoots, bark. There is always 1 cub in their litter.

Pictures (photos, drawings)

On this page material on topics:

The desire to get to the juicy leaves and delicious flowers prompts some porcupines to climb the trees.

Now scientists have 23 species living mainly on trees, which is three more than their usual terrestrial counterparts. Porcupines, which spend almost their entire lives in trees, live exclusively in the Western Hemisphere.

Surprisingly, in North America there is only one species of this unusual animal - porcupine. All porcupines found in America are called needle-hairs. Porcupin is one of the most interesting representatives of this group of rodents.

The woody porcupine porcupine is quite large in size, which reaches 86 cm in length. The porcupine skin is covered not only with needles, but also with thick wool. Porcupine has needles on the back and tail; interesting is the fact that they are serrated.

Porcupin is a "woolen" porcupine from America.

The special length of the needles of the animal does not differ, but they amaze with their number, which reaches 30 thousand. Since the needles serve as protection for the porcupine, they grow loosely into the skin and, piercing the enemy, fall out, remaining in his body. Porcupine tail: long, wide and powerful - its main weapon when attacking predators. Defending itself, the animal, lowering its head, raises its needles as much as possible and wags its tail. As a result, several needles can easily stick into the predator, which will be extremely difficult to get rid of. The wounds obtained from porcupine spines are very painful and cause suppuration.

Needles save the animal from enemies, and wool - from the cold.

The main enemies for porcupins are the large cats of North America - and, as well as the fishing marten.

Porcupina can often be seen in the trees, which are its usual habitat. Its long claws allow it to move easily, though not quickly, along the branches and trunks of trees. This porcupine also swims beautifully.

Porcupine is a woody porcupine.

Porcupin, like all porcupines, does not hibernate. He is herbivorous. In the cold winter months, when there is very little food, the animal, removing the bark from the trees with the help of its claws, eats the thin juicy layer under it. In addition, he gnaws the buds from the branches, choosing maple, spruce or poplar if possible. In the warm and well-fed season, porcupine feeds on grass, fruits and tubers.

Porcupins have few offspring. In most cases, only one cub is born. Half an hour after birth, his needles become stiff.

The average life expectancy of a porcupine in the wild is about 3 years, in zoos it can be up to 10. In those areas where fruit trees are not grown, the animal does no harm.

Squad - Rodents

Family - American

Genus / Species - Ereyhizon dorsatum. North American porcupine, porcupine

Basic data:

SIZE

Body length: 64-86 cm.

Tail length: up to 30 cm.

Weight: 3.5-7 kg, the weight of some males reaches 18 kg.

REPRODUCTION

Puberty: from 1.5-2.5 years.

Marriage period: autumn-early winter.

Pregnancy: Seven months.

Number of cubs: 1.

LIFESTYLE

Habits: porcupine (see porcupine photo) swims well and crawls through trees.

What eats: tree bark, buds.

Life Expectancy: up to 17 years old.

RELATED SPECIES

There are 13 species of porcupines, including the chain-tailed porcupine and the Amazonian porcupine.

Talking porcupine (porcupine). Video (00:03:52)

Like other species belonging to this family, porcupine spends most of its life on trees, the leaves and bark of which it feeds. Nature has endowed him with sharp claws and bare paw pads, thanks to which he perfectly keeps his balance on the branches.

WHAT IS EATED

Porcupin searches for food high in the trees - where he spends most of the time. With strong light orange teeth, he gnaws branches, leaves, seeds and fruits of various trees and other plants. His diet varies depending on where he lives and the time of year. At the end of winter, the animal leaves the forest to feast on young succulent grass in the nearby meadows. In summer, he finds food on the ground - roots and young shoots of plants, collects strawberries, seeds and inflorescences of various plants, nuts, he also eats aquatic plants. With the arrival of winter, porcupine returns to the forest and feeds exclusively on needles and bark. He loves juicy bast fibers, which during this period are an important element of his nutrition.

HABITAT

Porcupin prefers mixed forests, but, if necessary, adapts to other, excellent conditions, for example, to sandy deserts, bushes and even open spaces of the tundra. He sleeps all day, curled up in a ball, in the forks of trees or in rocky crevices. Each animal has several of these shelters, located at different ends of the territory. At dawn, porcupine goes to the nearest burrow. It is a conservative beast, it uses well-trodden paths and leaves noticeable traces on soft ground or in snow. In especially harsh winters, porcupine spends several days in its hiding place or leaves it for only a few minutes. In the summertime, he decides to retire some distance from the burrow, but usually rarely crosses the boundaries of his possessions. In winter, porcupines are in a group.

REPRODUCTION

Porcupina males, which lead a solitary lifestyle for most of the year, go in search of partners by the end of autumn or at the beginning of winter. Their eyesight is weak, but their hearing and sense of smell are well developed. Quite interesting is the courtship ritual of these porcupines. It starts with the partners walking in circles, while they make high falsetto sounds. After mating, the male leaves the female. Seven months later, in April-June, the female gives birth to a single cub. The newborn is very well developed. Porcupine cubs are born already sighted. The length of a newborn is about 60 cm, and its weight is up to 500 g. Its body is covered with thick, long black hair, and the needles are short and soft. However, within half an hour after birth, his needles harden. From the first day of life, the cub is able to follow its mother. When feeding with milk, the mother settles comfortably on the ground, sitting on her hips and tail. At the age of one week, the child already independently climbs trees. In the first month of life, he gradually begins to take solid food. Despite the rapid development of the cub, puberty occurs only at the age of 1.5-2.5 years.

PORCUPIN AND HUMAN

For the first white settlers of North America, porcupines were a welcome and readily available prey, one of the main sources of food. They hunt him for meat today. Previously, the Indians used the needles of North American porcupines to make a variety of ornaments. Nowadays, people, especially foresters, are fighting against porcupine, because it feeds on the bark of trees, and this leads to the death of plants. In some areas, they try to limit the number of these animals by settling their natural enemy - pecan. The pecan manages to defeat the porcupine in this way: he lies in wait for an animal that does not suspect anything, then with a sudden throw turns him over on his back and bites his teeth into the stomach or chest.

INTERESTING INFORMATION. DID YOU KNOW THAT ...

• Porcupin swims well. Needles that are hollow inside help keep the body afloat.
• Porcupine can weigh up to 18 kg, which is three times its normal weight.
• An adult porcupine has about 3000 needles.
• Porcupin begins to gnaw a tree from above: first, it gnaws branches, then takes up the trunk. Some forests that are home to a large number of these porcupines look like they were burned out by a fire.
• Porcupine loves salt, so he gnaws at the salty-tasting handles of agricultural implements.
• This animal builds its nest in the crowns of trees, sometimes even at a height of 6 m.

CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF PORCUPIN. DESCRIPTION

Lifestyle: porcupine feeds on bark and leaves, and nests on the top of a tree.

Needles: straighten up in case of danger. They have small gaps that bite into the attacker's skin.

Pecan: (he is ilka, he is a fisherman) is one of the few predators that porcupin should be afraid of.

Hands: the pads on them are bare and hard, and long sharp claws help to climb the trunks of trees.

- Habitat of porcupine

WHERE DOES

Forests of North America from Eastern Alaska and Newfoundland in the north to Tennessee and Northern Mexico in the south.

PROTECTION AND CONSERVATION

Porcupine is considered a pest because it feeds on bark - this leads to the death of trees. In some regions, people try to limit its number.