North American Porcupine

North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) is in the New World Porcupines family (Erethizontidae). Across the U.S., iNaturalist users have logged 20,395 research-grade observations of it in our sample, peaking in May.

Seasonal pattern in the national data: year-round resident. Counts also reflect when people are out photographing, so compare months within a state rather than across states.

When to photograph North American Porcupine: observations by month (U.S.)

About North American Porcupine

The North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), also known as the Canadian porcupine or common porcupine, is a large rodent in the New World porcupine family. The beaver is the only rodent in North America that is larger than the North American porcupine. The porcupine is a caviomorph rodent whose ancestors rafted across the Atlantic from Africa to Brazil over 30 million years ago, and then migrated to North America during the Great American Interchange after the...From Wikipedia via iNaturalist — article, CC BY-SA.

North American Porcupine by state

Main season = months with at least 30% of the state's peak-month count.

Photography tips

• Keep a legal and safe distance: 100 yards from bears and wolves and 25 yards from other large animals in national parks.
• Dawn and dusk are peak activity times for most mammals.
• Use your car as a blind on wildlife drives.

FAQ