Porcupines

Meet our "Prickle" of Porcupines!

Common Name: North American Porcupine
Scientific Name: Erethizon dorsatum
A group of them is called: A prickle
We just call them: "Minnie" & "Vinnie"

Size: 60 – 90 cm (length)
Weight: 4.5 – 18 kg (females are larger than males)
Lifespan: ~ 5 - 7 years (wild), up to 30 years (captivity)
Diet: Herbivore

VINNIE & MINNIE'S STORY

Both Minnie and Vinnie came from south of the border living in harsh conditions. When they came into Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue, they needed a lot of love, care, and attention. Now, they are thriving as part of our Animal Ambassador team! Vinnie and Minnie spend a lot of time together, in fact, maybe too much time. As part of the Porcupine mating ritual, Vinnie will sometimes urinate on himself to attract Minnie!

LEIA'S STORY

Coming soon...

PRINCESS PEACH'S STORY

Princess Peach was kept as a pet before being turned over to another organization, which brought her to us. Her nails were growing into her palms. She is now happily settling in at Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue, as being a former pet, she cannot be set free.

Did You Know?

The porcupine is part of the rodent family. One of the qualities they have is ever-growing front teeth (called their incisors). If they don’t wear these teeth down by chewing on trees, bark, and sticks, they will grow through their face!
An adult porcupine has 30,000 quills covering its body. They look soft and fuzzy but that is to make predators think that it's safe to bite them, but under their fur, they have thousands of quills! The only spot on their body that they don't have quills is their stomach.
Similar to how humans lose their hair, porcupines shed their quills. Porcupine babies are born with soft quills but will harden after just a few days.