Why do porcupines have quills?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: Defense against predators
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.
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!
More Animal Behavior questions
- Why use a wand toy instead of your fingers for a kitten to chase?
- Why is a sturdy scratching post a better starting point than punishment when a cat scratches the sofa?
- When providing two litter trays for one cat, why put them in separate quiet places?
- Why offer a quiet hiding box instead of pulling a newly adopted cat out from under a chair?
- Why can the same soft barn-owl feathers that mute flight make rainy hunting worse?
- Why is silent flight useful even if a mouse never hears the owl coming?