porcupine

Everyday

1. A porcupine is a large rodent covered in long sharp spines called quills, which protect it from enemies. tree →
2. There are two main groups: tree-climbing porcupines in the Americas and ground-living ones in Africa, Asia and southern Europe. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons about animal adaptations, the porcupine shows defence: its quills come out easily and stick into a predator. In stories a porcupine is prickly, grumpy or hard to hug. Phrases: porcupine quills, prickly as a porcupine.

Examples

• A porcupine raises its quills when it feels scared. tree →
• The dog came home with porcupine quills in its nose. tree →
• Porcupines eat bark, leaves and fruit. tree →
• A baby porcupine is called a porcupette. tree →
• The porcupine climbed a tree to escape the fox. tree →
• Porcupines cannot shoot their quills, despite the myth. tree →
• My little brother's hair stuck up like a porcupine after his nap. tree →
• We read a story about a porcupine who wanted a hug. tree →
• A Porcupine was looking for a good home. tree →

Note

Countable: one porcupine, two porcupines. Myth: porcupines do not shoot or throw their quills; the quills come off when touched. Do not confuse with a hedgehog (smaller, an insectivore not a rodent, with short spines, lives in the UK and Europe) or an echidna (an Australian egg-laying mammal with spines). The name comes from old words meaning «spiny pig», though it is not a pig.