Book 4, Question 62
Why Do Porcupines Have Quills?
Quills are a stay-back fence! They are modified hairs with tiny barbs. A predator that bites gets a mouthful of trouble, and learns to pick other food.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 4
More fun facts
- A single porcupine can have more than 30,000 quills.
- Quills are really sharp, stiff hairs fused together.
- Porcupines cannot shoot their quills, but the quills come loose easily when touched.
- Tiny barbs on the tip of each quill make it stick in an attacker.
- Porcupines would rather run away. If cornered, a porcupine raises its quills, turns its back and swings its tail.
- Porcupines shed quills naturally, and the quills grow back like hair.
- The porcupine's Latin name means quill pig.
Sources: National Geographic Kids, National Geographic, Smithsonian, Smithsonian
Questions kids ask
Can porcupines shoot their quills?
No. That is a myth, but the quills come out very easily when touched.