Description
North American Porcupine skull, real bone.
The North American Porcupine is also known as the Canadian porcupine or common porcupine. This large rodent is surpassed in size only by the North American Beaver as far as rodents are concerned. The origin of words is fascinating, and the word "porcupine" comes from the middle or old French word porcespin, which means thorn pig. The porcupine's scientific name, Erethizon dorsatum, can be loosely translated as "the animal with the irritating back". The North American porcupine has a strong odor to warn away predators, which it can increase when agitated. The smell has been described as similar to strong human body odor, goats, or some cheeses. The odor is generated by a patch of skin called the rosette, on the lower back where modified quills serve to broadcast the smell.
You may receive this skull, or one similar. The skulls vary as they are all natural products.
