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American Porcupines
Wherever found porcupines may always be known by their spines. The short legs, plantigrade feet and short thick tail are also characteristic of our North American species, but foreign porcupines exhibit many differences in their structure, one kind found in South America having a long prehensile tail like our opossum. The quills or spines of the porcupine are scattered about amongst the hair and all point backward but may be elevated at will by the muscular contraction of the skin and being so loosely attached at the base are frequently impaled in the face or feet of any animal which may come in contact with them.
