General Information
North American porcupines were common throughout the northern parts of Ohio until the 1890s, when deforestation pushed them out of the area. Recently, there have been occasional sightings of porcupines in Northeast Ohio. Many people suspect that porcupines are moving back into Ohio from the neighboring state of Pennsylvania, where they are abundant.
North American porcupines prefer to live in forested areas. They spend their time hanging out in trees or in dens that they make out of hollow logs or rocky caverns. Since they are nocturnal, they mostly forage and are active during nighttime hours. However, they can occasionally be seen out during the day. The North American porcupine is the only porcupine species that lives in the United States and Canada. It is the second-largest rodent in North America (the largest is the beaver).
Male North American porcupines mate with many females and will fight with other males for a chance to breed with the female of their choice. To court a female, a male porcupine will first spray urine on the female to get her interested. When mating occurs, porcupines pull their skin tight and put their quills down to avoid hurting one another. Only one young porcupine, called a “porcupette,” is born each year, usually in April or May. The quills are soft at birth, but they harden within the next few hours. A young porcupine will stay with its mother and nurse over the next few months. It will be on its own by 5 months of age.
Meet Our Porcupine
One North American porcupine, Lancelot, lives in the Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden—Presented by KeyBank at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
Lancelot
Lancelot the North American porcupine was born in Pennsylvania in May 2013. Since he was born in captivity and raised by humans instead of other porcupines, Lancelot was not equipped to survive on his own in the wild. He currently lives in the Perkins Wildlife Center, but he frequently can be seen walking the halls of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History or educating visitors during our live animal programs and classes.
Lifespan
Wild: 5–7 years
Captivity: 15–20 years
Fun Facts