Porcupine
(Erethizon dorsatum)

Quills detach easily and embed themselves in any attacker. When alarmed, the porcupine raises its quills, turns its back to the threat and lashes its tail. If a predator can flip a porcupine over, the belly is not protected and it can be killed. The underfur is dark brown, and there are very long, yellow-tipped guard hairs interspersed with the quills. Porcupines prefer the tender bark of twigs and branches in winter and fresh greenery in summer. They also love salt (eating sweat-stained gloves, boots and wooden handles of tools) and plywood (for the glue), so they can be real pests.

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