General: North American Porcupines (Erethizon dorsata) are large rodents with long, stiff quills over most of the body with which they defend themselves. They are light brown with long, shaggy hair.

Taxonomy: Class: Mammalia, Order: Rodentia, Family: Erethizontidae.

Preferred Habitat: Porcupines prefer coniferous and mixed forests in most of the northern and western US far south as northern Mexico. Porcupines primarily eat trees (twigs, buds, bark, leaves, fruits) during summer and the bark of pine trees during winter.

Where to Find: Around Las Vegas, look for porcupines in Zion National Park, on trips to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, or in the mountains of central and northern Nevada.