Max Fuller, aged 12, of Williamsport, Penn., for his question:
Do Porcupines throw their quills or not?
If he could talk, your dog might tell you that a porcupine threw quills at him. So might a mountain lion, And the fox and the eagle might agree. Nevertheless, these indignant fellows would be wrong, dead wrong. True, the quills come off a porcupine at the merest touch. But he cannot toss them at his friends or foes
What's more, the porcupine is a very fair fighter. He never looks for trouble or picks a fight. He is a pleasant character, though not very bright. But even the smart fox is not very bright if he dares to tangle with Mr. Prickles. The trouble with the porcupine's enemies is this. They underestimate him.
He is below they think, and not too smart. looking. He smells good to eat and should make an easy catch. When things go wrong, one and all, they blame the porcupine who turned out to be brighter than he looked. He threw his prickles at us, they whimper, rubbing sore noses and paws. And my, those quills hurt and go on hurting. In fact, they often prove fatal to dogs, foxes and even mountain lions.
Sometimes an eagle flies no more after he has taken a power dive at a fuzzy looking porcupine. Each quill is a hollow shaft, tapered at each end. One end is fixed loosely among the porcupine's dark fur. The other end points outward. This end is sharper and is set with small barbs. When all goes well, the porcupine carries his 30,000 or so quills neatly pointing backwards. The little barbs are not noticeable at all.
When a foolhardy enemy threatens, the quills are ruffled this way and that. The porcupine looks like a large, untidy pincushion. He rattles the quills In his stubby tail to give fair warning. If the enemy still threatens, Mr. Prickles acts quick as a flash. He swings his tail at the face of his foe and lashes this way and that.
A dozed or so quills may come off with light blow. And they stick. The job of the little barbs is to see that they stick. As the quill puncture the skin, they enters the skin, they are smooth and flat. They spring open when the spike enters the soft flesh. The quill goes in easily enough. But it must be ripped out„ This is what makes the porcupine so dangerous.
The little warriors aim is good, even if he is facing in the opposite direction. He usually puts his head down between his front paws before striking. A fair sized fellow may weigh anything from 15 to 30 pounds, to a blow from him can pack quite a gallop. And that wallop is all he uses to place his quills where they mill do him the most food. So, next time your dog complains that he was innocently minding his own business when a porcupine threw prickles at him, don't believe a word of it.