Why do porcupines have quills?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: Defense against predators
Defense against predators ✓ — Correct! Quills are modified hairs with barbed tips. When threatened, porcupines raise their quills. If a predator attacks, quills detach and embed painfully. They can't shoot quills—that's a myth—but quills release easily on contact!
To attract mates — Wrong. Quills aren't for mating displays. They're purely defensive.
Quills sense surroundings — Wrong. Quills don't function as sensors. Regular hairs and whiskers serve that purpose.
More Animal Behavior questions
- A platypus lays eggs but feeds hatchlings milk without nipples. What makes that less contradictory?
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- Why does a hunting platypus sweep its bill side to side instead of just pointing it forward?
- What can a platypus bill read from a shrimp's muscles rather than from water motion?
- When should you worry if a cat suddenly gets very clingy?