Facts about Giraffes
After the capybara and the beaver, porcupines are the third largest of the rodents. They are known for their sharp spines or quills that defend them from predators. Their quills have microscopic, backwards-facing barbs on the tip that catch on the skin making them difficult and painful to extract. If a quill becomes lodged in the tissues of an animal, the barbs act to pull the quill further into the tissues with the normal muscle movements of that animal, moving up to several millimeters in a day. Predators have been known to die as a result of quill penetration and infection. Porcupine quills are as sharp as needles, detach very easily, and will remain embedded in an attacker. Quills of the porcupine are about 75 millimeters (3.0 in) long and 2 millimeters (0.079 in) width. Even if a porcupine dies, its quills are still capable of penetrating. A group of porcupines is called a "prickle". The name "porcupine" comes from Middle French porc d'ιpine which could be translated as "thorny", "spined", or "quilled" "pork" or "pig", hence the nickname "quill pig" for the animal. Most porcupines are about 2536 in (630910 mm) long, with an 810 in (200250 mm) long tail. They normally weigh between 1235 lb (5.416 kg). They are rounded, large and slow. Quills are released by contact with them, or they may drop out when the porcupine shakes their body, but cannot be projected at attackers, contrary to popular belief. |
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