Funny animal comic - porcupine's strange mating behaviour
Porcupines are well known, easily identifiable by the massive amount of quills covering their body. Which always and immediately raises the question on how they mate. Well, in short, very carefully.
But what about the stages right before that? The first look, the first conversation, the first kiss and bonding on emotional level?
Find out!
And before you wonder: no, porcupines can not shoot their quills like darts! They fall off or break when predators attack them so they get stuck in their skin. Thanks for asking.
The comic - porcupines dating
African porcupines form a lifelong bond and can mate several times a year. Because porcupines are equipped with their sharp quills, intercourse is very dangerous. Therefore the female initiates by presenting her back. Gestation period is around 3 months with a litter of up to four pups, called porcupettes (adorable name, isn’t it?).
Because these porcupines are mostly active at night, and although pairs are kept in captivity, scientists and zoologists have not observed this behaviour.
So everything in the comic is a bit speculative, sorry.
Totally different story for the North American Porcupine. Females have been observed to emit a particular odour to attract males. They climb on trees and shout to attract as many as they can. Males will then fight over the right to mate against each other, leaving the most violent as a winner, although he might come out with devastating wounds. As an act of sealing the bond, he pees on her after she climbed down from the tree. Nice!
If you want to read another animal comic, click here!
Thanks for reading and come back soon for another comic,
Andi Pasti
References:
https://www.allcreaturespod.com/?episode=episode-215-prickly-african-crested-porcupines
https://www.sanbi.org/animal-of-the-week/cape-porcupine/
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Hystrix_africaeaustralis/
https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/1998/Porcupine-Mating-Habits
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