They also show up in other regions. In the late 80’s I was driving west to Alpine fairly often and was astounded at how many porcupines I was seeing as road-kills. Terry Webb Harshman, HarperCollins Children's Book Group, New York. Southwest Glendive Wildlife Baseline Inventory. The tail can be another 8 to 10 inches. Michael Pearce is an experienced outdoor writer, cookbook author, hunting photographer, and passionate Kansas outdoorsman. Helen Lester, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, Massachusetts. You need a permit for falconry and keeping raptors. Southeast Events. They prefer woodlands, but in Kansas, are found most often in “riparian habitat,” the wooded and brushy areas bordering streams and rivers. Porcupines are easily recognized by the yellow or white quills that stand out against their brown or black fur. "They've sort of been here all along," Timm said. The weig… Natural History Museum photographs; Details. Connect to local news for just $1 a month for 3 months. Porcupines and pelicans do well here, too. I talked with local veterinarian Becky Dillon, who told me that starting about a dozen years ago, she began seeing two or three dogs annually from the Rice, Reno, and McPherson County area impaled with porcupine quills, usually in their noses. Wild Outdoor World magazine. However, porcupines do have soft hair in certain spots and they can weigh up to 35 lbs. J Vet Diagn Invest 3:362-364 (1991) Epizootics of diaphragmatic hernias in swine Kent J. Schwartz Diaphragmatic hernias in swine occur sporadically, often in a single animal, and are generally assumed to be congenital or the result of traumatic accidents. After carefully gathering a few quills from the middle of its back and cutting off part of its unique hindfoot that strongly resembled a bear’s foot, we left the poor guy looking like the victim of some satanical ritual. They do not hibernate. Porcupines are scattered throughout Kansas, Peek said. They breed once yearly and usually give birth to only one offspring. There was a concerted effort to poison and shoot porcupines by several state and federal agencies during 1930s to 1970s Agencies sent crews out with .22 rifles during winter to shoot porcupines as recently as 1970s Porcupines have disappeared from many areas where they were once My response to that was “Yeah, right!” (They neglected to tell me it was a naval AIR base!) While in western Kansas a few years back we came upon a dead porcupine along the road. Porcupines are usually dark brown or black in color, with white highlights. - Get The Specific Help You Need. These New World porcupines usually weigh between 12 and 35 pounds, with full body lengths of between 25 and 36 inches. Ozark Events. Porcupines are very vocal during mating season. This behavior no doubt gave rise to the legend that a porcupine could “throw” its quills. Shook, an avid bird and big game hunter, said it was only the second time he’d encountered a porcupine in Kansas. This will allow the barb to penetrate deeper once embedded. With the tiny barbs embedded, the body heat of the unlucky recipient swells the quills, forcing them deeper into its flesh. Porcupines use the quills as a defense. Porcupines occupy a small range of habitats in tropical and temperate parts of Asia, Southern Europe, Africa, and North and South America. Two Maine police officers allegedly beat porcupines to death with their batons while on duty, outlets report. Having porcupines in your area can bring in other pests that prey on porcupines. During the 2001-2002 furbearer season, nearly 3,600 were harvested. Unlike what is shown on cartoons porcupines can’t throw their quills, but they can quickly pass a bunch along with a slap of their tail if another animal gets too close. They harden about an hour after birth. 1988. 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