This picture was taken in Canton, NY in the middle of January. The picture depicts a porcupine hanging out on a tree. Porcupines are herbivores and in the winter they are known to eat the bark on trees. When I first saw the porcupine on a tree, I was surprised because I did not know that they were capable of climbing trees. I also found this photo funny because it was perched on a tiny branch while staring down at our whole class.

While nature-walking through the St. Lawrence University woods, our group saw a porcupine high up in a tree. Porcupines are the second largest rodents in North America. In the cold winter months, they eat leaves of evergreen trees as well as the inner bark of trees. They are very common over most of the U.S. I had to take this photo because, although I've lived in or near the North Country for most of my life and am no stranger to the Adirondack woods, I've never before seen a porcupine!

I found this porcupine up on a tree branch as I was walking towards the Lampson Falls. I was a little scared as I was just under the tree trying to capture the best shot of this animal.

Type: Animal Picture
Habitat Description: Forest with wetlands nearby. Mainly loosely forested plain with wetlands and bog nearby.

Upon seeing these tracks deeper into the forest at Stone Valley, I figured out quickly that it was a porcupine due to the quill marks made by its tail and the defined path it created. Upon tracking it for a half hour or so I was lead to its den, but unfortunately not to the animal itself. Upon learning that its weight range is 12-35 pounds, I'd guess this porcupine was either on the bigger side due to how deep and spread out its tracks were, or it wasn't traveling alone.

Continuing with this week's porcupine theme, I came across this one at dusk while finishing a trail run at the Indian Creek Nature Center. It sat in the branches of a chokecherry so still that I initially did a double take to make sure it was not a bird's nest. It barely moved for a few minutes while I ran to the car to retrieve my camera, and I took a few photos before it started chattering its teeth at me, so I decided to move on.

A hollow, fallen tree provides a den for a small porcupine.

Amazing little creatures. This guy is due to be released from rehab within the next month.

This morning I went into the woods with two of my students to check the traps we had set for porcupines. We are busy studying the ecology of the North American porcupine, and part of that work entails live-trapping these wonderful animals. This morning we caught (and immediately released) a young raccoon, who had made a mess of things by filling the trap with dirt. We also caught one female porcupine, shown with me in the picture. She is a new animal in our study and it will be fun to follow her through her life. Porcupines can live to be about 23 years old in the wild.

I observed this critter during a slow exploration walk along Gulf Road one afternoon. The porcupine was moving slowly among the upper branches of the tree and seemed oblivious to my presence on the ground.