The North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), also known as the Canadian porcupine, is a large rodent in the New World porcupine family. By the spring of 1995, more than 2,000 Pennsyl-vania porcupine cribs had been placed in common-wealth reservoirs. These animals can be found in North and South America and also Africa. The North American porcupine is the only species that lives in the U.S. and Canada, and is the largest of all porcupines. Porcupines’ back, sides, and tail are covered with thousands of stiff, needle-like, finely barbed hairs (quills) for defense. Click on the name or image for additional information. North American Porcupine Range and Habitat. All species are equipped with defensive spines, which protect them from predators. Porcupine Pat, Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Porcupine Fish Attractors fish structure improve spawning habitat while providing valuable structure for all species of fish in all size lakes. 16 0 obj << /Linearized 1 /O 18 /H [ 862 243 ] /L 62496 /E 32103 /N 4 /T 62058 >> endobj xref 16 23 0000000016 00000 n Vocalizations of the porcupine, though used infrequently, include various screeches and calls. The porcupine is a blackish, quill-armored, slow-mov- ing rodent with an appetite for tree bark and salt. The quills, or spines, take various forms depending on the species, but all are modified Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission & Northampton County Parks staff prepare to take porcupine cribs out to be sunk at Minsi Lake in Upper Mount Bethel Township during the week of … The North American porcupine lives in coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests. They can be from 25 to 36 inches long. (Photo courtesy Kristina van Westenbrugge/iNaturalist CC BY-NC), Head and body: 25-36 inches; tail: 8-10 inches. 0000015842 00000 n The porcupine was attracted to the salty taste of the treated wood. 0000007519 00000 n Northern Pennsylvania Wildlife Bald Eagle State Park The huge lake is a haven for wildlife, including nesting Bald Eagles. Porcupines have salt cravings that lead them to chew on anything made of plywood or with salt residue, such as housing structures and automobiles. Maps are shown for each species whose current distribution is known. In general, porcupines live in just about any terrain, including deserts, grasslands, mountains, rainforests and forests. In the eastern United States, the species is present in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia and Maryland. By 1995, more than 2,000 of them had been placed in state waters. Distribution. The following is a list of the 70 mammals known to live or have lived in Pennsylvania. It has hairless soles on its feet that help it climb trees. 0000002284 00000 n Based on this diet, you could infer the porcupine's favorite habitat: mixed conifer-hardwood forests and woodlands. Habitat. Porcupines can weigh as much as 30kg, however they are considered to be slow animals. Quills are not thrown or shot, as popularly conceived. Range. Porcupine courtship is elaborate and noisy. The North American porcupine is a native rodent with an iconic feature⁠—quills—that it uses for defense. While it doesn’t occur in all parts of Pennsylvania, the porcupine is one of our best-known and most easily identified wild ani- mals. Dens in tree branches or tangles of roots, rock crevices, brush or logs are the porcupine's home. PFBC describes it as "the first habitat device designed with fish protection — not fish attraction — as an objective." While it doesn’t occur in all parts of Pennsylvania, the porcupine is one of our best-known and most easily identified wild animals. Porcupines occupy a variety of habitats, from tundra to desert, from grassland to forest, across the western and northern United States. The porcupette eventually leaves its mother after six months. The list provides common names and currently recognized scientific names. Yes, that just might have been a porcupine you saw killed on the road. North American porcupines have over 30,000 modified hairs called quills covering their bodies. It has a round body, small ears, and a small head. lar to the original Pennsylvania Porcupine Crib. Porcupines are usually solitary, except for mothers with young. Mammals. Adult porcupines weigh around 20 pounds. The baby stays with its mother for about six months, but will start foraging for food only a couple of days after birth. The porcupine is a herbivore that eats leaves, twigs, bark and green plants like skunk cabbage and clover. (Photo courtesy hmayo90/iNaturalist CC BY-NC), North American porcupine. Pennsylvania Porcupine Cribs, 20 Pennsylvania Porcupine Crib Juniors, 40 Hoosier Cubes, 20 felled trees, and riprap for shoreline stabilization. These rodents are relatively large compared to the rest of the order Rodentia. The tail can be another 8 to 10 inches. WILKES-BARRE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) – An elusive porcupine, which has spent the past week making a tree outside the Eyewitness News studios its home, is headed back to its natural habitat. The most recognizable feature of the porcupine is its quills. The Pennsylvania Porcupine Crib was the first artificial habitat structure designed in the Commonwealth, using new, long-lasting biodegradable materials. of Conservation of Natural Resources (DCNR) and the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) what was to be the first year of a five year plan to build and place fish habitat structures in Presque Isle Bay waters. Diet: Herbivorous—summer diet includes a wide range of vegetation; winter food is almost exclusively the inner bark of trees. The North American porcupine is a rodent. The majority of the time this cabin is not occupied and the porcupine was very surprised when four 13-year-old girls showed up. The porcupine is found in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, and New England. PENNSYLVANIA PORCUPINE CRIB Porcupine Brush Cribs (see attached standard drawing) are long lasting, deep water, complex structures designed as a refuge type habitat. A porcupine may have as many as 30,000 quills. Only a few lakes in Pennsylvania are natural. As told above, porcupines are classified into two classes- old world and new world. The North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) is a large gnawing mammal, or rodent, and is widespread in North America, occurring from eastern Canada and the northeastern states to the Great Plains, the Rockies, and Alaska.They occupy a variety of habitats, from dense coniferous forests to open tundra and from sea level to high alpine regions. So a group of volunteers, led by Pennsylvania Sea Grant Maritime Educator David Boughton, converged on Lampe Marina to build structures to replace lost natural spawning areas in Lake Erie. The Porcupine Crib Jr. (see attached standard drawing) is an adaptation of the original Porcupine Brush Crib. The porcupine is a blackish, quill-armored, slow-moving rodent with an appetite for tree bark and salt. The 2020-2021 season is from Oct. 10 to Jan. … 0000000862 00000 n Porcupines are covered in about 30,000 quills. Pennsylvania Game Commission/Jacob Dingel. In Pennsylvania, most porcupines live in areas of extensive forests. Mammals of Pennsylvania. The Chesapeake Bay Program is a unique regional partnership that has led and directed the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay since 1983. The Porcupine Jr. was designed to mimic the habitat provided by native stumps. Porcupines climb trees or forage on the ground for food. Vocalizations of the porcupine, though used infrequently, include various screeches and calls. Their fur ranges in color from brownish-yellow to black, and they sport white highlights in their quills. In the eastern United States, this porcupine can be found in the Great Lakes region and New England through the mid-Atlantic. 0000003983 00000 n The Pennsylvania Porcupine Crib was the first artificial habitat structure designed in the Commonwealth, using new, long-lasting biodegradable materials. For example, the fact that they are classified as rodents.They are the 3rd largest of all rodents in the world. Mammals of Pennsylvania. The North American porcupine is found from northern Mexico to Alaska. They are well known for their dangerous quills that they can come out easily upon contact with the unknown visitor. www.chesapeakebay.net, Porcupines are the second largest rodent in North America, with. The following is a list of the 70 mammals known to live or have lived in Pennsylvania. 0000004218 00000 n They are no longer present in Virginia. Improving habitats in and around waterways results in healthier, more diverse aquatic communities. From farm ponds to big reservoirs, these fish attractors help anglers, biologists, and professional lake management companies enhance quantity and quality. 0000001497 00000 n Less than a mile east of Cougar Bob’s Kelletville Tavern overlooking the picturesque Tionesta Creek, I spotted my first porcupine. Pennsylvania is a region that is so diverse in wildlife. Stumps in shallow water provide an important habitat value in Pennsylvania reservoirs and sometimes are the only true native woody cover in the impoundment. Vegetation and woody debris were often removed during construction. Improving habitats in and around waterways results in healthier, more diverse aquatic communities. They make dens in caves, decaying logs and hollow trees. The Old World species have spines that are grouped into clusters, while the New World species have spines that are attached to the skin singly. Wild Animals. It lives in forests and often can be seen hunched into what appears to be a black ball high in a tree. In the eastern United States, the species is present in Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia and Maryland. By Anna McCartney, Pennsylvania Sea Grant Human activity has reduced the adequate cover and specific habitats that fish need for breeding, feeding and spawning so they can survive and thrive. All have short, stocky legs, but their tails range from short to long, with some being prehensile. They inhabit the rugged mountains of northcentral Pennsylvania, the timbered land in the northwest and northeast corners, and the wooded sections of the ridge-and-valley region. The beaver is the only rodent in North America that is larger than the North American porcupine. Very cute porcupine walking around the porch of a cabin in central Pennsylvania. Their quills come off easily when touched, and their sharp tips and overlapping scales or barbs that make them difficult to remove. Baby porcupines have soft quills that begin hardening about an hour after birth. It lives in forests and often can be seen hunched into what ap- pears to be a black ball high in a tree. One of the most noteworthy is the Pennsylvania Porcupine Crib, developed nearly 30 years ago. Although porcupines cannot shoot their quills, they can aim their body movements for vital places on the predator’s body. Pennsylvania impound-ments. HABITAT IMPROVEMENT. Based on this diet, you could infer the porcupine's favorite habitat: mixed conifer-hardwood forests and woodlands. Quills are hairs with solid, barbed tips and hollow shafts, and a porcupine has an estimated 30,000. Pennsylvania Porcupine Crib Junior Purpose: • Designed to mimic stump habitat. When a porcupine is approached by a predator, will turn its back and raise its quills to make the more accessible to a predators face. Animal Type. Amanda Gabryszak / DJ Case and Associates. It lives in forests and often can be seen hunched into what appears to be a black ball high in a tree. As told above, porcupines are classified into two classes- old world and new world. In Pennsylvania, the state game commission instituted a hunting season on porcupines a few years ago. Fishers are especially equipped to prey upon porcupines, and will attack from the front until they are able to flip a porcupine on its back and attack the porcupine’s unprotected stomach. The old world porcupine is brush-tailed generally live in parts of Africa and India whereas the new world porcupine lives in Canada, North and Central America. Even though North American porcupines are solitary animals, they sometimes share dens in the winter with up to eight other porcupines. If the predator is hit, the quills can embed themselves in the animal because the body heat of the predators body causes the barbs to expand. Maps are shown for each species whose current distribution is known. Because quills are so lightly attached, they come off easily when a predator encounters them. Fish Habitat I n 1995 the SONS of Lake Erie fishing club entered into a partnership with the PA Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC), the PA Dept. It has black to brownish-yellow fur and strong, short legs. Its Central and South American relatives can’t withstand the high variance in temperature tolerated by North American porcupines. In turn, that benefits those of us who enjoy Pennsylvania's water resources and the organisms that call them home. 0000003561 00000 n In Pennsylvania, the state game commission instituted a hunting season on porcupines a few years ago. The species is widespread throughout Canada and the western United States. They provide protection for ju- In the east, they are rare south of Pennsylvania. The average body and head length is 25 to 36 inches and the average tail length is 8 to 10 inches. The porcupine's most famous feature—the quill—is hollow, 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7 centimeters) in length, and lightly attached to the porcupine's skin. This is the prickliest of rodents in the world today, and there are about 2 dozens of porcupine species. 0000007722 00000 n trailer << /Size 39 /Info 14 0 R /Root 17 0 R /Prev 62048 /ID[<31ef584da2c569425b08cd8bbf47d9e9>] >> startxref 0 %%EOF 17 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Pages 15 0 R >> endobj 37 0 obj << /S 96 /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 38 0 R >> stream Animal Group. Common Name: Porcupine Scientific Name: Erethizon dorsatum Habitat: Woodlands, preferring stands of white pine, hemlock, and a variety of hardwoods near rocky outcroppings that can be used for dens. also provides habitat help for lake fish. The North American porcupine lives in forests and scrubby areas. In general, porcupines live in just about any terrain, including deserts, grasslands, mountains, rainforests and forests. Typically native habitats in hill-land impoundments benefit 0000000807 00000 n Foods 602 likes. Distribution. One of the most noteworthy is the Pennsylvania Porcupine Crib, developed nearly 30 years ago. When another animal attacks the porcupine, its quills detach, burrowing into the adversary’s flesh and inflicting painful, potentially deadly wounds. In turn, that benefits those of us who enjoy Pennsylvania's water resources and the organisms that call them home. This area has experienced the greatest decline in aquatic habitat … Quills are hairs with solid, barbed tips and hollow shafts, and a porcupine has an estimated 30,000. They may also be found in shrubland and forested swamps, and even in the desert in parts of their range. It was also the first habitat device designed with fish protection—not fish attraction—as an objective. In the east, they are rare south of Pennsylvania. 0000010183 00000 n In the spring, porcupines expand their diet to buds and twigs as well as herbaceous plants, fruits and nuts. 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