The word porcupine comes from an old French term meaning ‘spined pig’ and indeed in the USA porcupines are called ‘quill pigs’. Porcupines are the prickliest of mammals as they have a distinguishing feature of a coat of quills or spines. These protect the animal from harm and are used to defend it. This is similar to the more familiar hedgehog spine but a porcupine’s quills are much longer.

These two quills are patterned with brown and cream. It is no longer possible to import porcupine quills except under special licence.

People used to believe that porcupines could fire their quills at an enemy, but this is not actually true. The quills lie flat on the body until the animal needs to protect itself when they stick up, and in the process make the animal look much bigger. Any predator will come away from an attack with porcupine quills stuck into its body. Sometimes the porcupine’s quills fall out when it shakes its body and sometimes they come out when the porcupine brushes against or is in contact with another animal or object. New quills grow to replace the ones that fall out. 

Porcupines of various species live in the Americas, South East Asia and Africa. Their quills have been used in decorative jewellery and basket work in parts of Africa and by Native Americans. They also make excellent fishing floats, though this is no longer common practice because of import restrictions.