Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo
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North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)

Picture
Description:
Mid-sized stocky mammals up to three feet in length and 41 pounds in weight. Porcupines have thick bodies, round heads, short legs, feet adapted for climbing and a muscular tail. They are covered with up to 30,000 hollow, pointed modified hairs called quills. They also have stiff guard hairs which provide a valuable sense of touch and wooly underfur which provides warmth. Their color varies from yellowish to black.

Habitat:
Coniferous and deciduous forests (up to 70 feet high in trees).

Range:
Most of forested and mountainous North America, except the southeast.

Diet:
Buds, seeds, shoots, leaves, fungi, bark (especially inner tree bark).

Life Span:
Up to eleven years.

Family Life:
Porcupines are solitary. They mate in fall or early winter. A single offspring is born after a seven month gestation. The well-developed young weigh about 3 pounds at birth, climb trees in two days and become sexually mature in their second year.

Status:
Generally common but threatened regionally by habitat loss such as development and clear-cutting.
​Can you name a mammal that will gnaw on axe handles and baseball bats?

Answer: Erethizon Dorsatum: The North American Porcupine. North American Porcupines will gnaw on wooden hand tools, baseball bats and canoe paddles to extract salt from human perspiration.

Other fun facts:
  1. Porcupine quills are soft at birth and harden within one hour.
  2. Their quills contain tiny air pockets which help porcupines to float easily while swimming
  3. The stiff quills on the underside of their tails act as climbing spikes to brace them as they descend trees.
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​203-394-6565
​info@beardsleyzoo.org 
1875 Noble Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06610
Open 9am-4pm daily
​Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo is dedicated to acquainting a diverse public to the delicate balance that exists between living things and their environment.

Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo is a 501(c)(3) not for profit owned and operated by the Connecticut Zoological Society.

2019 Kids Out and About #1
Association of Zoos & Aquariums
Connecticut - Still Revolutionary
Weekly Best of Fairfield County Readers' Poll 2014
FC Buzz Events - Arts & Culture of Fairfield County
© 2022 Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo
  • Home
  • About
    • Blog
    • Contact Us
    • Jobs
    • Press
  • Guest Info
    • Accessibility
    • Calendar
    • COVID Guidelines
    • For Kids >
      • Coloring Pages
      • Zoo Patrol
      • Zoo Tots
    • Our Animals >
      • Eastern Rat Snake
    • Our Plants
    • Parents
    • Zoo Cams >
      • Outdoor Red Panda Cam
      • Indoor Red Panda Cam
      • Outdoor Spider Monkey Cam
      • Indoor Spider Monkey Cam
      • Otter Cam
    • Zoo Etiquette
    • Zoo Map
  • Membership
  • Education
    • Citizen Science >
      • FrogWatch
      • MonarchWatch
    • Conservation >
      • City Nature Challenge
      • Conservation Pledge
    • Cool Blue >
      • Cool Blue Schools
    • Programs
    • Educational Resources
    • Evening Lectures
    • Field Trips
    • Just 4 Teens >
      • CDC
      • Explorers
    • Teachers
  • Support
    • Animal Sponsorship
    • Appeal
    • Corporate Support
    • Donate
    • Events
    • Gift Guide
    • Honor & Remember
    • Monthly Giving
    • Naming Opportunities
    • Wish List
  • Parties, Rentals & Weddings
    • Birthdays
    • Private Events
    • Weddings
    • Rates and Details
    • Preferred Vendors
    • Preferred Wedding Vendors
    • Event Guidelines
  • Volunteer
    • Interns
  • Buy Tickets