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Article Overview: Porcupines in Alaska

Alaska’s vast wilderness is home to a wide variety of fascinating critters, from grizzly bears to humpback whales. Among these rugged landscapes roams one of the animal kingdom’s most unique and misunderstood creatures: the porcupine. With their notoriously prickly quills and elusive behavior, porcupines can be found in almost every corner of the last frontier. In this article, we’ll delve into the world of porcupines in Alaska, exploring their habitat, diet, range, life cycle, and more!

Why Trust Us

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Together AlaskaExplored has more than twenty years of experience traveling, working, and exploring the beautifully rugged, 49th state. Working in television has taken us all around the world, and no place more than Alaska. During our time in Alaska we’ve documented countless stories from every corner and crevasse of the state.

We’ve helped showcase the grandeur of this wild place for National Geographic, Discovery, Disney, Animal Planet, and more. Now we want to share our knowledge and real life experiences with you!

On assignment in Alaska for National Geographic Channel // JJ Krehbiel

My Experience with Porcupines in Alaska

Alaska has offered me a lot of firsts. After years of filming silly reality shows for MTV and the likes, working in Alaska, for networks like National Geographic and the Discovery Channel, was the first time I wasn’t embarrassed to tell my friends and family what watch I worked on. I caught my first King Salmon in Alaska, I saw the Northern lights for the first time in Alaska. And yes, I had my first run in with a porcupine in Alaska.

It was a fairly normal rainy day in southeastern Alaska. The crew and I were finishing up a grouse hunt and had to shoot some interviews and B-roll of the surrounding area. I was tasked with the latter. Shooting this sort of stuff is always my favorite, because its just me, a camera, and whatever I come across. That day, it was an angry porcupine who did NOT want to be filmed.

I always try to spot the critters first and get my shot, but it is their forest and they navigate it much better than a tv crew. So suffice it to say, the porcupine saw me first and darted past me flicking its spiky tail in my direction. Somehow I managed to dodge the angry rodent and watch it scamper up a nearby tree. Once the two of us caught our breath and I reassured them I meant no harm, the awkwardly cute porcupine allowed me to record him perched in a spruce tree at a safe distance from me.

Porcupines in Alaska

Table of Contents:

Why Trust Us
My Experience with Porcupines in Alaska
Porcupines in Alaska

Porcupines, with their prickly exteriors and endearing personalities, are cryptic residents in Alaska’s forests and tundra. Despite their common presence, many aspects of their lives remain shrouded in mystery.

Physical Characteristics of Porcupines in Alaska

Despite their prickly reputation, porcupines in Alaska are actually fairly stocky and adorable (from a safe distance). They’re the second-largest rodents in the state, after beavers, reaching lengths of 25 to 31 inches. Their bodies are covered in a mix of hair and quills of different lengths. The hair, especially on their back, can be tipped with yellow or white, giving them a bit of a blondish highlight. Their bellies, however, are sparsely haired and can be black or brown. Interestingly, unlike their spiky cousins the hedgehogs, porcupine quills aren’t barbed, but they are loosely attached and easily detach upon contact, making them quite effective deterrents to predators.

Habitat and Range of Porcupines in Alaska

A lot of folks might not realize just how prolific porcupines in Alaska are. That’s in part because they’re so good at remaining hidden. They’re primarily found in forested areas throughout most of the state, be it coniferous, deciduous, or a mix of both. But that’s not all! They can also thrive in scrubby tundra and even on rocky slopes. They’re absent from a few specific regions, though, like the northern part of the Brooks Range, the Seward Peninsula, and some island groups like the Aleutian chain and Prince of Whales island.

Porcupines are nocturnal creatures, but its not uncommon to spot them during the day. These Alskan rodents don’t make dens or nest, instead they seek out natural nooks to nap in. Hollow logs, rock crevices, thick vegetation, and tall trees all make excellent bedrooms for porcupines in Alaska. While porcupines in Alaska don’t make nest, they do stick to a particular neighborhood, or zone. Typically home ranges vary from 25-35 acres.

Porcupines in Alaska: Examining the Last Frontiers Prickly Rodent // Shutterstock

Diet of Porcupines in Alaska

Porcupines in Alaska are vegetarians, with a diet consisting mainly of bark, leaves, twigs, and other plant materials. For porcupines in Alaska, this means munching down on spruce needles and the inner bark of birch and hemlock. In the spring months they take advantage of budding young trees and the green leaves of birch, aspen, cottonwood and willows.

One interesting aspect of a porcupine’s diet is their need for salt. Their plant based meals are super low in sodium and they have to seek out other sources of sodium so their blood can balance cell potassium levels. In Alaska, porcupines seek out natural salt licks and unnatural salt licks to get their fix! They’ve been blamed for eating the plywood glue, sweaty hand tools, and road salt. So remember to bring those margarita glasses in from off the porch!

Unique Behavior of Porcupines in Alaska

Alaskan porcupines, despite their prickly exterior, exhibit some fascinating and unique behaviors when compared to their southern counterparts. Here are a few interesting examples:

Winter Huddle: Unlike most porcupines who are solitary creatures, Alaskan porcupines during exceptionally harsh winters might huddle together for warmth in dens like hollow logs or rock crevices. This is a rare behavior for the species, showcasing their ability to adapt to extreme conditions.
Arboreal Expertise: The Alaskan landscape, with its towering spruce and birch trees, makes these porcupines expert climbers. They spend a significant portion of their time, even in winter, high up in the trees feeding on inner bark. Studies have shown evidence of healed fractures in some Alaskan porcupines, hinting at the occasional tumble from these lofty heights!

Life Cycle of Porcupines in Alaska

Breeding

Breeding among porcupines in Alaska typically occurs in the fall, usually in September. During this time, males embark on a quest to find receptive females, expanding their home ranges up to five times their normal size. When more than one male shows interest in the same female, intense fights may ensue, with the largest and heaviest male usually emerging victorious.

Once a male wins the right to mate, he gives the poor porcupine gal a golden shower, splashing her with his urine. Yeah, no joke. And, if she’s into it, she’ll stick around and assume the doggy style position. Porcupines reach sexual maturity at different ages, males at 24 months and females at 12 months. But this begs the question, if porcupines are seducing each other with piss, do they ever reach sexual maturity?

Offspring

After a successful mating, the female endures on a long pregnancy of around 210 days! Unusually long for a rodent their size. Come spring, she gives birth to a single, well-developed “porcupette” in a den that could be a hollow log, rock crevice, or brush pile.

Unlike many baby animals, porcupettes are precocious from birth. They’re born with their eyes open and soft quills that harden within hours, providing immediate protection. The mother nurses her little one for about 3.5 months, but the youngster starts nibbling on vegetation within a few weeks. By fall, when the mom goes into heat again, the young porcupine is fully weaned and ready to face the world on its own.

Life Span

Alaskan porcupines, despite the harsh environment, can live relatively long lives for rodents. In the wild, they can reach up to 18 years old, although threats like predators, harsh winters, and injuries can take a toll. Predators like lynx, wolves, and coyotes are known to target porcupines.

Defense Mechanisms of Porcupines in Alaska

Alaskan porcupines, while not invincible, boast a well equipped arsenal of defenses to keep them safe in the rugged wilds of the last frontier:

The Mighty Quill: The most iconic defense mechanism is, of course, the shield of a thousand tiny spears sticking out of them. Alaskan porcupine quills aren’t barbed, but they make up for it in sheer number and detach-ability. These modified hairs are loosely attached to the porcupine’s skin and easily come loose upon contact with a predator.The quills can penetrate flesh and even migrate deeper, causing irritation and pain.
The Power of Scent: Porcupines have scent glands near their tails that they can use to emit a strong, unpleasant odor as a warning to potential predators. It’s nature’s way of saying, “Back off, I’m not worth the stink!” I was known to employ a similar tactic during high school gym class in order to avoid swirlies.
The Backwards Shuffle: Porcupines aren’t exactly known for their speed, but they have a clever tactic when retreat isn’t an option. They’ll perform a backwards shuffle, presenting their backside, the area most densely packed with quills, towards the threat. This not only makes them a less tempting target but also increases the chance of an attacker getting a face full of quills.
The High Life: The Alaskan landscape plays a role in their defense too. These porcupines are excellent climbers and spend a significant amount of time high up in trees. This vantage point allows them to spot predators from afar and helps them reach areas less accessible to some ground-dwelling threats.

Porcupines in Alaska Fast Facts

Here are some easy to digest fun facts about the needle wearing porcupines living in Alaska.

Porcupines in Alaska are the second largest rodents found in the state, second only to the Beaver.
Despite their formidable appearance, porcupines in Alaska have soft, fuzzy fur underneath their sharp quills.
Porcupines in Alaska are excellent climbers.
A single porcupine can have up to 30,000 quills covering its body.
Porcupines in Alaska are vegetarians.
Porcupines in Alaska are largely solitary animals.
The mating ritual of porcupines in Alaska involves the male splashing the female with urine as part of the courtship process.
Porcupines in Alaska have slow reproductive rate, with females giving birth to only one offspring per year after a gestation period of 7 months.
The young porcupine, known as a porcupette, is born with soft quills that harden within a few hours of birth.
Porcupines in Alaska emit a strong odor from a gland near their tail to deter potential threats.

Porcupines in Alaska Range Map

The following map displays the vast range porcupines in Alaska have. Red is where they can be found.

Conservation Status of Porcupines in Alaska

Porcupines in Alaska are not endangered. In fact, the North American porcupine, which is the species found in Alaska, has a global conservation status of “Least Concern” according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. This means that their populations are stable and widespread throughout their range.

Porcupines in Alaska: Conclusion

Alaska’s porcupines are the ultimate survivors. They can navigate a surprising variety of habitats, from towering spruce forests to rocky slopes, all while maintaining a healthy glow on a diet of bark and leaves. These prickly party animals might not be the cuddliest companions, but their unique adaptations and resourcefulness make them an undeniable highlight of the Alaskan landscape. So, the next time you’re hiking through the Last Frontier, keep an eye out for these spiky superheroes . They’re a waddling testament to the power of nature’s ingenuity and the importance of personal space!

Porcupines in Alaska: Resources & References

For more resources and information on the porcupines in Alaska, check out these resources.

The Alaska Mammal Guide

Alaska Department of Fish and Game

The Alaska Zoo