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The word porcupine comes from the Latin porcus ' pig ' + spina ' spine, quill ', from Old Italian porcospino, ' thorn-pig '. [4] [5] A regional American name for the animal is quill-pig. [6] A baby porcupine is a porcupette. When born, a porcupette's quills are soft hair; they harden within a few days, forming the sharp quills of adults. [7]
The most distinguishing feature of the porcupine is its coat of quills. An adult porcupine has about 30,000 quills that cover all of its body except its underbelly, face, and feet. Quills are modified hairs formed into sharp, barbed, hollow spines. They are used primarily for defense, but also serve to insulate their bodies during winter.
The quills can be flattened with specific bone tools or by being run through one's teeth. Awls were used to punch holes in hides, and sinew, later replaced by European thread, was used to bind the quills to the hides. Undyed porcupine quills. The four most common techniques for quillwork are appliqué, embroidery, wrapping, and loom weaving. [16]
During recovery, the porcupine was kept with other animals in a familiar environment, which should make his transition back home much easier. RELATED: American Humane Association's dog hero's
The "quills" are mixed with long, soft hairs. They vary in size from the relatively small prehensile-tailed porcupines , which are around 30 cm (12 in) long, and weigh about 900 g (32 oz), to the much larger North American porcupine , which has a body length of 86 cm (34 in), and weighs up to 18 kg (40 lb).
This porcupine has a short tail which has rattle quills at the end. The rattle quills broaden at the terminal end and the broad portion is hollow with thin walls. When these quills are vibrated, they produce a hiss-like rattle. The front feet of the crested porcupine have four developed and clawed digits with a regressed thumb, the rear feet ...
The reasons not to pick up a porcupine clearly outweigh the reasons to do so. Turns out, opinions on the best approach vary among the experts.
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