Common Porcupine
Erethizon dorsatum
Summary 4
The Common Porcupine, (Erethizon dorsatum) also known as the North American Porcupine, is a large rodent found in many parts of North America including Iron County, UT. It is the only species of porcupine native to the United States. Porcupines are unique from other mammals in that they have sharp barbed spines called quills covering much of their body. The metacarpal pads of a porcupine's foot are fused and form a palm with a unique pebbly surface. The digital pads of the foot rarely appear in tracks. Tracks will display the distinct pebbly texture and have prominent nail marks some distance from the palm (Photo 2). Scat is irregular in shape with a diameter of 1/4 to 1/2 in. and a length of 1/2 to 1 1/4 in. (Photo 3).
Fontes e Créditos
- (c) Danny Barron, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/56398280@N00/2753273158
- (c) Tatiana Gettelman, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/tatiana-gettelman/10124391494/
- (c) chey295, todos os direitos reservados
- Adaptado por chey295 de uma obra de (c) Wikipedia, alguns direitos reservados (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erethizon_dorsatum
