A Visit from the Easter Porcupine

Forget about the Easter Bunny, visitors to South Lookout spotted this North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) in a tree on Easter Sunday!

These quill-covered rodents are opportunistic herbivores, which is just a nice way of saying they are vegetarians. Before the leaves come out in spring, they seem to really enjoy stripping the bark off of old trees on sanctuary property and eating the pieces. However, they often will leave the majority of the bark behind, whether it was due to distaste for that tree specie’s bark or another reason, we’ll never know. Their messy habits are very helpful in tracking them throughout their habitat, which comprises mostly of coniferous and mixed forest. They are nocturnal creatures, so a sighting during the day is certainly an exciting find.

Photo by Jess Gary.