p;p.ISALC: ESL 382: Computer Applications - Fall 2000
Hatchet: Student Survival Guide

This is what I knew about Porcupines before reading Hatchet:

I knew the Porcupine is a kind of mammal, which has a small head, legs, and strong needles. He can protect him self from the enemies with his needles. He is a vegetarian, which eats some kinds of plants and grass.

This is why Porcupines were important in Hatchet:

When Brian was sleeping, he heard some noise near his shelter. He was scared that it would attack, so he threw his hatchet to the place where the noise was. Brian's hatchet hit a rock and made sparks, so he knew what could help him to make a fire. The porcupine made the noise, so he was scared. Then he stuck Brian in his leg with his needles.

After reading Hatchet and completing my Internet research, this is what I have learned about porcupines:

The porcupine is a kind of mammal, which has a small head, legs, and strong needles. It lives in North America's desert, and the entire north to Canada. The porcupine's habitat is wood and woodlands. The porcupine that lives in North America has a small head, short legs, strong needles and chunky body with a high arching back. It weight is from ten to forty pounds and its teeth continue to grow as long as it lives. His feet have four toes on the fore feet and five on the hind feet; also the height of his tail is about eight inches. The porcupine's foods are leaves, twigs and green plants in the Spring and hemlock, bark of fir, aspen and pines trees in the Winter. The porcupines have many enemies such as wolves and mountain lions. They try to attack the porcupines, but they can protect themselves with their needles.

Porcupines have special time for mating. The males go looking for mates. When the females are ready for mating, they leave a strong odor in their urine. This smell makes the males know that the females are ready for mating. About six months after mating the mother porcupines are ready to give birth. Usually only one baby is born and it called a porcupette. It starts to open its eyes and get its milk from the mother months, but he can eat foods, such as leaves. The porcupine's baby is born between April and August and in the Fall he will be on his own. The life of the porcupine is between six to ten years.

------------------------------------------------MY PICTURE--------------------------------------

Created by: krauss@lclark.edu
Updated: 10/20/00