Stats

Lifespan: 5-7 yrs wild, up to 18
Size: Large
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Nocturnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: North America
Movement: Climbing
Breeding: Live Birth
Defense: Spines
Status: Common

About

A slow-moving, nocturnal rodent covered in roughly 30,000 barbed quills that detach on contact and work deeper into a predator's skin over time. It is an excellent climber, spending much of its life in trees gnawing on bark and buds.

Life cycle

1.
newborn pup
A blind, hairless pup nurses in the nest and is unable to regulate its own warmth.
2.
juvenile
A weaned juvenile is fully furred, leaves the nest, and begins foraging on solid food.
3.
adult
Fully grown and self-sufficient.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Erethizontidae
Genus: Erethizon
Species: Erethizon dorsatum