The porcupine
is a rodent known for its coat of sharp spines, or quills
that defend it from predators. The porcupine is the third
largest rodent, after the beaver. Most porcupines are
about 63 to 91 cm (25 to 36 inches) long, with an 20-
to 25- cm (8- to 10-inch) long tail. Weighing between
5.4 and 16 kg (12 and 35 pounds), they are rounded, large,
and slow. Porcupines come in various shades of brown and
the unusual white. The name "porcupine" comes
from combining the Latin for pig and French for spine,
hence the nickname "quill pig" for the animal.
In parts of Africa, porcupines are eaten as a form of
bush meat. The porcupine's chief defense is its quills,
sharp spines distributed across the rodent's back, sides,
legs, tail, and head. They may be as dense as 150 per
square inch, giving one animal as many as 30,000 quills.
Porcupines do not throw their quills; unfortunate attackers
approach closely enough to be swatted by the tail or brush
against the animal. Like the related ordinary hairs, porcupine
quills grow back when they come out.
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