What Lovely Fur is a photograph by Phyllis Taylor which was uploaded on September 8th, 2017.
What Lovely Fur
I found this beautiful porcupine on the Kenai Peninsula near Girdwood, Alaska and watched him pose for me as I snapped his photo. He looks quite... more
Title
What Lovely Fur
Artist
Phyllis Taylor
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
I found this beautiful porcupine on the Kenai Peninsula near Girdwood, Alaska and watched him pose for me as I snapped his photo. He looks quite sweet and soft, but you wouldn't want to get him riled because he has an abundance of needle-like quills.
The porcupine is the prickliest of rodents, though its Latin name means “quill pig.” There are more than two dozen porcupine species, and all boast a coat of needle-like quills to give predators a sharp reminder that this animal is no easy meal. Some quills, like those of Africa's crested porcupine, are nearly a foot long.
Porcupines have soft hair, but on their back, sides, and tail it is usually mixed with sharp quills. These quills typically lie flat until a porcupine is threatened, then leap to attention as a persuasive deterrent. Porcupines cannot shoot them at predators as once thought, but the quills do detach easily when touched.
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September 8th, 2017
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