Kids Page
| Animal of the Month: Giant African Crested Porcupine |
Bet You Didn't Know: Porcupines DO NOT shoot their quills, they dislodge them when they back into a predator. Porcupines lose one to two quills a day just like we lose hair! The word porcupine means "Quill pig" in Latin! The porcupine's quills have been used as good luck charms, hairpins, weapons, musical instruments and even containers for gold dust! Adult African Crested Porcupines have over 30,000 quills! |
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| Ah, love! For our African Crested Porcupines, it was love at first site! Having children was the next natural step. These two lovebirds are now the proud parents of twins. The African Crested is the largest member of the porcupine family. They are responsible for killing more lions and humans than any other animal in Africa! Although the puncture wounds can be serious, it is the bacteria on the quills that often leads to death! Sadly, many people in Africa do not have access to good health care. The antibiotics that would save them from the deadly infection are simply not available. African Crested porcupines are considered a pest because they happily munch on farmer's crops. Our pair love sweet potatoes and most other root vegetables. They are not fussy eaters and enjoy almost anything from bread to chicken! When the porcupine feels threatened, his quills fan out and rub together. This results in an intimidating noise that sounds a bit like a loud rattlesnake. This display, along with some fancy foot stomping is enough to frighten away most predators. |
| Meet "Mohawk". You can call her Mo! |
