{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Taxon",
  "slug": "porcupine",
  "name": "North American Porcupine",
  "scientificName": "Erethizon dorsatum",
  "category": "Mammal",
  "summary": "The North American porcupine is a slow, nearsighted rodent armed with roughly 30,000 barbed quills covering its back and tail. It climbs trees to eat bark and leaves, defends by backing into predators, and lives across forests and tundra from Alaska to Mexico.",
  "conservationStatus": "Least Concern",
  "taxonomy": {
    "kingdom": "Animalia",
    "phylum": "Chordata",
    "class": "Mammalia",
    "order": "Rodentia",
    "family": "Erethizontidae",
    "genus": "Erethizon"
  },
  "stats": {
    "weightKg": 9,
    "lengthM": 0.8,
    "topSpeedKmh": 3,
    "lifespanYears": 18
  },
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Scientific name",
      "value": "Erethizon dorsatum"
    },
    {
      "label": "Diet",
      "value": "Herbivore — tree bark, leaves, buds, and green plants"
    },
    {
      "label": "Habitat",
      "value": "Forests, shrublands, and tundra across North America"
    },
    {
      "label": "Lifespan",
      "value": "15–18 years in the wild"
    },
    {
      "label": "Weight",
      "value": "5–14 kg (11–31 lb)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Top speed",
      "value": "Up to 3 km/h (2 mph) on ground; agile in trees"
    },
    {
      "label": "Conservation status",
      "value": "Least Concern (IUCN)"
    }
  ],
  "range": {
    "nativeRange": "Forests, shrublands, and tundra from Alaska and Canada through the western and northeastern United States to northern Mexico.",
    "continents": [
      "North America"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "citation": "IUCN Red List — Erethizon dorsatum.",
      "url": "https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Erethizon%20dorsatum&searchType=species"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Animal Diversity Web — Erethizon dorsatum. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.",
      "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Erethizon_dorsatum/"
    }
  ],
  "lastReviewed": "2026-07-16",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/porcupine/",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
    "attribution": "Global Animal Guide — https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/porcupine/",
    "note": "Free to reuse for non-commercial purposes with attribution and a link back to the canonical page."
  }
}