This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Class
Mammals
Order
Rodentia
Family
Erethizontidae
Zoo section
Mixed forest
Diet
Herbivorous
Habitat
Mature forests
IUCN Status
Least concern
Diet
Herbivorous, feeding on bark, sapwood, leaves, shoots and various plants.
Lifespan
Around 5 to 7 years in the wild and up to 10 years in captivity.
Reproduction
In Quebec, sexually mature at 1 year. Mating occurs between October and December. A single baby is born between mid-May and July after a gestation period of 7 months, and is weaned after 2-14 weeks.
Predators
Fisher, wolverine, Canadian lynx, bobcat, coyote, cougar, gray wolf and certain birds of prey.
FAQ : Is it true that porcupines can launch their quills ?
When threatened, the porcupine adopts a defensive stance, protecting its vulnerable parts and rounds its back thus raising the quills. The porcupine then swings its tail in the direction of the predator. If there is contact, quills detach and impale the predator. This has led to the assumption that the porcupine can launch its quills
.