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Prickly Facts about Porcupines
Porcupines might be considered a prickly bunch, but they're pretty cute once you learn more about them.
1. The origin of "porcupine" can be traced back to Old English and French words.
The word porcupine is a derivative of the Middle French word porc d’espine, meaning “thorny pig.” Middle English variants include "porcupyne" and "porcapyne."
2. Porcupines are the third largest rodents in the world, and the second largest in North America.
That's right behind the second-place beaver, and the first-place capybara.
3. Porcupines cannot throw their quills, as was previously thought.
When a porcupine feels threatened, it tenses up and attacks predators with the swat of its tail, embedding quills into their skin. Only on occasion will loose quills fall out before it strikes, creating the illusion that they're being shot out.
4. A porcupine has approximately 30,000 quills on its body.
A typical porcupine has soft hair mixed with quills, which grow from its back, sides, and tail.
5. There are two different types of porcupines.
live in Southern Europe, Asia, and Africa. New World porcupines are indigenous to North America and Northern South America.
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