So what good are porcupines? During summer, porcupines eat leaves, nuts, and berries. They eat vegetation. And, what do porcupines eat? Mostly Bark, and pulp of trees, leaves, nuts, berries. Porcupines are nocturnal. They do eat trees, dropping branches along the way, which in turn provides habitat for other critters. They spend a lot of time in the tops of trees. So one of these predators will sometimes kill and eat a porcupine by flipping it onto its back and biting into its vulnerable belly. But few animals know this porcupine-eating trick. North and South America, Africa, Europe and many other places. Porcupines have become a … Animals that strip bark off trees include black bears, porcupines, beavers, rabbits, squirrels, and occasionally, deer, voles, and deer mice. It is mostly nocturnal, but will sometimes forage for food in the day, eating bark, roots, fruits and berries, as well as farm crops. Birds will use vacated porcupine dens, often in hollow trees, once the porcupine has left. Part of the reason why porcupines are roaming the cities, aside from the wild is because they can easily look for food within yards and forests that would always have plenty of food for them without them giving a lot of effort. Think of them as free tree pruners. They make a wide variety of sounds from whimpers to screams. In the winter, it may eat bark. The African porcupine is not a climber and forages on the ground. They prefer softwood trees. It often climbs trees to find food. If you can’t catch the offender in the act, then closely examine your tree to determine what areas are missing bark. Adults have up to 39,000 quills. Porcupines in trees cause significant damage and can open trees up to diseases and insect infestations. Porcupines have special bacteria in their digestive system that break down the cellulose in wood, so most porcupines have a lot of wood in their diets. During the winter porcupines damage trees by chewing through the bark to eat the inner bark. They live primarily on the inner bark of trees during the winter, but also eat evergreen needles. Sometimes, porcupines strip bark to the extent that the trees die. There are … In spring, you might find nip twigs under sugar maple, white ash, and aspen, from which they eat the buds and young leaves. [citation needed] Behavior A porcupine eats tender bark and twigs, along with other types of vegetation. Porcupines are selective in their eating; for example out of every 1,000 trees in the Catskill Mountains, porcupines will only eat from 1-2 linden trees and one big toothed aspen. A porcupine that has invaded your yard to eat your trees is not as easily discouraged as the animal that has ventured on to the property to eat pet food. Whatever the reason, they are always the source of headache for many gardeners who want to protect trees. Porcupines average 13 to 20 pounds. North American porcupines also eat fruit, leaves, and springtime buds. They rarely kill trees. They eat natural bark and stems, and have been known to invade campgrounds and chew on canoe paddles. Predators. During the summer, they eat twigs, roots, stems, berries, and other vegetation. In fall, when porcupines eat a lot of acorns and beechnuts, look for nipped twigs under oak and beech trees. Porcupines are Herbavores. Predators always take a chance when they attack a porcupine, because they risk getting quills in the face and eyes. The North American porcupine and the African porcupine differ in one crucial thing when looking for food; the North American porcupine climbs up trees to find food while the African porcupine forages for food only on the ground. During other seasons, favored foods are the bark, buds, and needles of trees. They both eat leaves, … An instant birdhouse. They are very sucessful animals and can be found in most contients, around the world. 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