Did you know that baby porcupines are called porcupettes? These prickly guys are actually born with soft and flexible quills that will harden after a couple of days. These quills are made of keratin, the same thing that make up hair and fingernails. They might not look it but porcupines are also great swimmers because of these quills. These quills are hollow and make it easy for these large rodents to float in water.
Breeding season starts around this time (late summer/early fall) and a female will usually only have one porcupette at a time.
Photo by: Tom Koerner USFWS
