A single animal may have 30,000 or more quills. While it doesn’t occur in all parts of Pennsylvania, the porcupine is one of our best-known and most easily identified wild animals. These porcupines use their prehensile tail to grasp! They have a chunky body, a small face, short legs, and a short thick tail.This species is the largest of the New World porcupines and is one of the largest North American rodents, second only to the American beaver in size. It's muscular body is covered with up to 30,000 long, hollow and pointed quills. The feet have a naked sole with 4 toes on the front feet and 5 toes on the hind feet. Porcupines are usually dark brown or black in color, with white highlights. The underside is covered with long, dark fur. The North American porcupine is the only species that lives in the U.S. and Canada, and is the largest of all porcupines. North American Porcupines have a height of 12.6”-16.5” (32-42 cm), body length between 23.6”-35.4” (60-90 cm), and an overall weight in the range of 20-40 lb (9-18 kg). Porcupines are usually dark brown or black in color, with white highlights. The North American porcupine uses its tail and the hairless soles of its feet to help it climb trees. The upper body is covered with sharp quills nestled among long, thick fur ranging down the tail. Other new world porcupines include the Brazilian porcupine ( Coendou prehensilis ), and the Mexican hairy dwarf porcupine ( Coendou mexicanus ). Its body is up to 80 cm (31 inches) long, with a tail up to 30 cm. The North American Porcupine averages 3.5 feet in length, including a 6-inch tail, and can weigh up to 40 pounds. It has black to brownish-yellow fur and strong, short legs. A porcupine … The family currently consists of around 18 species. The North American porcupine is one of the world's most recognizable animals because of it's … The porcupine is a blackish, quill-armored, slow-moving rodent with an appetite for tree bark and salt. They have long spiny barbed hairs or quills. Approximately 30 weeks after mating, the female gives birth usually to one baby. Half of the weight of the tail is composed of muscle. The most recognizable feature of the porcupine is its quills. It has hairless soles on its feet that help it climb trees. It has a round body, small ears and a small head. It could take up to six months to determine a prehensile-tailed porcupine's sex, because its sexual organs are internal. Instead, Zoo scientists use the innovative technique of analyzing DNA extracted from a quill to rapidly determine the sex. It lives in forests and often can be seen hunched into what appears to be a black ball high in a tree. The North American Porcupine is best known for and made distinguishable by its spiny quills that cover its body. The North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) is the largest species in the family, usually weighing less than 7 kg (15.4 pounds) though males occasionally grow significantly larger. They spend much of their time in the tree canopy, and are very vocal animals with a wide variety of calls. The North American porcupine is one of the largest rodents found in North America, coming second to the North America beaver. North American Porcupines have a height of 12.6”-16.5” (32-42 cm), body length between 23.6”-35.4” (60-90 cm), and an overall weight in the range of 20-40 lb (9-18 kg). The North American porcupine is a rodent. They have a stocky body, a small face, short legs, and a short, thick tail.This species is the largest of the New World porcupines and is one of the largest North American rodents, second only to the American beaver in size. 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