An adorable baby porcupine is making its debut at the Bronx Zoo.
The male porcupine was born July 28 to mother, Alice, and father, Patrick; he is the pair's third offspring. It is now on exhibit with its family in the newly renovated Children's Zoo.
The porcupine’s most recognizable physical characteristic is its spiky quills. They can have as many as 30,000 quills covering their bodies and use them as a defense against predators.
At birth, the quills are very soft. They begin to harden a few hours after birth and continue to harden and grow as the baby matures.
Despite popular belief, porcupines cannot shoot their quills. The quills of the North American porcupine have a tiny barb on the tip that, when hooked in flesh, pull the quill from the porcupine’s skin and painfully embed it in a predator’s face, paws or body.
Young porcupines begin eating solid food as early as 3 weeks old, but will continue to nurse for about 3 months.
