Erethizon dorsatum

North American Porcupine
(*Erethizon dorsatum*)
North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)
Range
Taxonomic classification
Order:	Rodentia
Suborder:	Hystricomorpha
Infraorder:	Hystricognathi
Superfamily:	Erethizontoidea
Family:	Erethizontidae
Subfamily:	Erethizontinae
Genus:	Erethizon
Binomial details
	Erethizon dorsatum (Linnaeus, 1758)
Other resources
	Full taxonomic details at MDD

The North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) occupies a variety of habitats in much of Canada and the United States and in some parts of northern Mexico.

Description

From Woods (1973): "The genus contains one living species. The body is moderately large, stout, with the upper parts completely covered with long quills. The legs and tail are short. The tail is covered with spines and is not prehensile. The feet are heavy and have naked soles. There are four clawed toes on the front feet, and five clawed toes on the hind feet."

Museum type specimens

Holotype: USNM 347446. Erethizon dorsatum dorsatum. Adult female. Piniware River, Labrador, Newfoundland, Canada. Collected 11 April 1935. Dorsal view of the skin.
Holotype: USNM 347446. Erethizon dorsatum dorsatum. Adult female. Piniware River, Labrador, Newfoundland, Canada. Collected 11 April 1935. Ventral view of the skin.

External measurements

Length measurements are in millimeters (mm) and weight measurements are in grams (g), unless stated otherwise. If available, the sample size (n=) is provided. If a range is not provided and n= is not given, then the listed measurement represents an average.

Part of range	Reference	Total length	Tail length	Hindfoot length	Ear length	Mass
California	Jameson & Peeters (2004)	0.79–1.3 m	145–300	75–101	25–42	10–18 kg
Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland	Webster et al. (1985)	850	230			4–12 kg; heavy male may exceed 17 kg
Colorado	Armstrong et al. (2010)	640–930	150–300	85–125	20–40	4–18 kg
Minnesota	Hazard (1982)	612–740	160–223	75–110	30–35	5.3–9.1 kg
not reported	Best & Dusi (2014)	790–1,330	145–300	75–91	25–42	3.5–18 kg
Texas	Schmidly & Bradley (2016)	males: 808; females: 737	males: 235; females: 230	males: 98; females: 81		5–11 kg
Virginia	Linzey (1998)	645–1,030	145–300			up to 18 kg

Skull

Holotype: USNM 347446. Erethizon dorsatum dorsatum. Adult female. Piniware River, Labrador, Newfoundland, Canada. Collected 11 April 1935. Dorsal view of the skull.
Holotype: USNM 347446. Erethizon dorsatum dorsatum. Adult female. Piniware River, Labrador, Newfoundland, Canada. Collected 11 April 1935. Ventral view of the skull.
Holotype: USNM 347446. Erethizon dorsatum dorsatum. Adult female. Piniware River, Labrador, Newfoundland, Canada. Collected 11 April 1935. Lateral view of the skull.
Holotype: USNM 347446. Erethizon dorsatum dorsatum. Adult female. Piniware River, Labrador, Newfoundland, Canada. Collected 11 April 1935. Dorsal view of the mandible.
Holotype: USNM 347446. Erethizon dorsatum dorsatum. Adult female. Piniware River, Labrador, Newfoundland, Canada. Collected 11 April 1935. Lateral view of the left mandible.

References

Armstrong DM, Fitzgerald JP, Meaney CA. 2010. Mammals of Colorado, Second Edition. Denver (CO, USA): University Press of Colorado.

Best TL, Dusi JL. 2014. Mammals of Alabama (Vol. 4). Tuscaloosa (AL, USA): University Alabama Press.

Hazard EB. 1982. The mammals of Minnesota. Minneapolis (MN, USA): University of Minnesota Press.

Jameson EW, Peeters HJ. 2004. Mammals of California (No. 66). Berkeley (CA, USA): University of California Press.

Linzey DW. 1998. The mammals of Virginia. McDonald & Woodward Publishing.

Schmidly DJ, Bradley RD. 2016. The mammals of Texas. Austin (TX, USA): University of Texas Press.

Webster WD, Parnell JF, Biggs WC. 1985. Mammals of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland. Chapel Hill (NC, USA): University of North Carolina Press.

Woods CA. 1973. Erethizon dorsatum. Mammalian Species (29):1-6. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3504036