British Columbia Wildlife
Porcupine

Porcupine ( Erethizon dorsatum)

The BC porcupine is found in most forested regions in British Columbia. The porcupine spends the day resting on a tree limb out of sight. At night the porcupine forages for food. His favorite meals are twigs, bark, buds and leaves.

The animal is addicted to salt and will do anything to obtain it. We mean a real problem, like needing therapy. Take for example a porcupine will chew an axe handle for the salt left behind by the human hand.

Poor eyesight and slow movement are characteristics of the porcupine along with good hearing and smell. The sharp quills covering the body leave the animal with few natural enemies. In protection mode the animal will hide its head and swing its quill laden tail in the direction of the attacker. There are a reported 30,000 quills on a porcupine. The few enemies in the wilderness have learned to flip the animal over as there are no quills on the under-belly.