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Quills grow in varying lengths and colours, depending on the animal's age and species. Porcupines' quills, or spines, take on various forms depending on the species, but all are modified hairs coated with thick plates of keratin [16] and are embedded in the skin musculature. Old World porcupines have quills embedded in clusters, whereas in New ...
In many cases, spines are a defense mechanism that help protect the animal against potential predators. Because spines are sharp, they can puncture skin and inflict pain and damage which may cause the predator to avoid that species from that point on. The spine of some animals are capable of injecting venom. In the case of some large species of ...
The spines and quills cover the back and flanks of the animal, starting about a third of the way down the body, and continuing onto the tail. The quills have multiple bands of black and white along their length, and grow from regularly spaced grooves along the animal's body; each groove holding five to eight quills.
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.
Meet the Lowland streaked tenrec.This animal resembles both a hedgehog and a shrew. But its most notable feature is its bright yellow and black colored quills. These unusual creatures only exist ...
Their spines are not poisonous or barbed and, unlike the quills of a porcupine, do not easily detach from their bodies. However, the immature animal's spines normally fall out as they are replaced with adult spines. This is called "quilling". Spines can also shed when the animal is diseased or under extreme stress. Hedgehogs are usually brown ...
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 "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).