Have you ever seen a porcupine? In the wild? In West Virginia? The answer to all three of those questions is “Yes!” for more people than ever before, according to a recent article in the WV Explorer.

Porcupines seem like a common enough animal, but they actually aren't, historically, in West Virginia.
Mattnad/Wikipedia
These rodents are native to Appalachia, but their home habitat has traditionally been farther north, in the Allegheny region of Pennsylvania. But they began to migrate down into the northern areas of West Virginia in the late 20th century, and they have continued to spread throughout the state since then.
Porcupines are rodents--the second largest in North America (the beaver is larger). They eat vegetation, including twigs, roots, berries, and tree bark.
Eric Kilby/Flickr
Adult male porcupines weigh, on average, around 23 pounds! Grown females are slightly smaller, averaging about 15 pounds.
They are infamously covered in quills that they use to defend themselves against their predators.
D. Gordon E. Robertson/Wikipedia
Interestingly, porcupines are the only North American animal with antibiotics in their skin, so that if they fall out of a tree (which happens quite often as they reach for tender buds on the ends of thin branches) and impale themselves on their own quills, the wound heals up without infection.

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Porcupines are not typically a danger to humans; they pose much more of a hazard for curious dogs who wind up with a painful nose full of quills after a friendly sniff.
elaine moore/Flickr
(If this happens to your poor puppy, get him to the vet!)
Even though porcupines are more common throughout the state now than they've ever been, you're still not too likely to see one.
NPS/Wikimedia
They are shy, solitary creatures that like to hide during the day and do most of their roaming after dark.
Even if you don't see an actual porcupine, keep an eye open for evidence of them in the wild, in the form of tracks or in stripped tree bark and gnawed tree tops.
Mia & Steve Mestdagh/Flickr

So, have YOU ever seen a porcupine, in the wild, in West Virginia? Let us know!

And if nature is your thing and you like keeping up on the latest West Virginia observations, don’t miss the newly discovered fungus that’s infecting our cicadas…

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