Porcupine Quills
Do You Know—
◯ How many quills a porcupine has?
◯ If it ever shoots its quills at an attacker?
◯ Why these quills rarely cause infection in a victim, yet
sometimes cause death?
THE 30,000 or more quills that constantly replace themselves are never used aggressively but only in defense; nor does the porcupine shoot its quills. True, when it swings its loaded tail at an attacker, some quills may fly out but with insufficient force to get stuck in anything. When the swung tail does connect with an assailant, the quills are difficult to extract.
A few years ago, a biologist had such a painful encounter with a porcupine. One quill traveled ten inches [25 cm] in the flesh of his arm before emerging two days later. There was no infection. He ran tests on other quills and was amazed to find that they have mild antibiotic properties. For this reason, quills rarely cause infection.
If, though, the barbed head of a quill works its way into the flesh and strikes a vital organ, it can cause the death of its victim. And if the quills pierce an animal’s mouth so that it is unable to eat, the animal may starve to death.
An added bonus is that the quills act like a flotation jacket when the porcupine decides to dine on a favorite food—water lilies. Like the animal itself, its quills are truly the product of an intelligent Designer.
[Picture Credit Line on page 31]
Elizabeth Joy/National Park Service