Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae , and the New World porcupines of the family Erethizontidae .

2012年12月10日 · Porcupines are famed for their quills, which are actually large, stiff hairs that help defend the animals against natural predators. Contrary to popular notions, the large rodents can't throw their quills at an enemy, says Jeffrey Karp, a …

2012年12月10日 · New research shows that the sharp quills of the North American porcupine have tips that are covered in backward-facing barbs that make them much tougher to remove.

2023年10月18日 · Quills are actually stiff, hollow hairs with microscopic, backward-facing barbs at the tip (kind of like tiny fish hooks), so when they come into contact with flesh—human or animal—they get stuck and pull free from the porcupine’s skin.

Porcupines do not throw their quills, but they do break off at the base when the barbs at the tip of the quill penetrate something. Quills are released through contact and sometimes a few may fall out when a porcupine shakes its body vigorously.

2022年7月27日 · Quills are loosely held by a porcupine's skin, and so if another creature comes into contact with a porcupine, quills detach easily from the porcupine. Not so for the victim though....

A single encounter with a porcupine—even a casual sniff, a curious poke with a paw—can unleash hundreds of quills, and a porcupine who has recently been in a skirmish can often be identified by a bald patch where some careless beast has made the mistake of touching it.

There are two types of porcupine quills: short, stiff quills and long, flexible quills. The short quills are found on the porcupine’s back and sides, and are used for defense against predators. These quills are about 1-2 inches long, and are densely packed in the porcupine’s skin.

Porcupines are lumbering, rotund rodents with needle-like spikes, called quills, covering their back, sides, and tail. A single porcupine can have more than 30,000 quills, which are...

Porcupines have soft hair, but on their back, sides, and tail it is usually mixed with sharp quills. These quills typically lie flat until a porcupine is threatened, then leap to attention...