Porcupines have become a … So one of these predators will sometimes kill and eat a porcupine by flipping it onto its back and biting into its vulnerable belly. They do eat trees, dropping branches along the way, which in turn provides habitat for other critters. They eat vegetation. North and South America, Africa, Europe and many other places. Birds will use vacated porcupine dens, often in hollow trees, once the porcupine has left. During other seasons, favored foods are the bark, buds, and needles of trees. Predators always take a chance when they attack a porcupine, because they risk getting quills in the face and eyes. In winter, when they eat the foliage of hemlock and spruce, look for nipped twigs under these trees. Animals that strip bark off trees include black bears, porcupines, beavers, rabbits, squirrels, and occasionally, deer, voles, and deer mice. They both eat leaves, … During the winter porcupines damage trees by chewing through the bark to eat the inner bark. They rarely kill trees. [citation needed] Behavior But few animals know this porcupine-eating trick. 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. 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. Sometimes, porcupines strip bark to the extent that the trees die. Porcupines are nocturnal. North American porcupines also eat fruit, leaves, and springtime buds. The African porcupine is not a climber and forages on the ground. Well, glad you asked. In spring, you might find nip twigs under sugar maple, white ash, and aspen, from which they eat the buds and young leaves. They make a wide variety of sounds from whimpers to screams. So what good are porcupines? Porcupines are Herbavores. And, what do porcupines eat? They spend a lot of time in the tops of trees. In the winter, it may eat bark. In the winter, they mainly eat conifer needles and tree bark. There are … It is mostly nocturnal, but will sometimes forage for food in the day, eating bark, roots, fruits and berries, as well as farm crops. During summer, porcupines eat leaves, nuts, and berries. 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. An instant birdhouse. If you can’t catch the offender in the act, then closely examine your tree to determine what areas are missing bark. 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. They are very sucessful animals and can be found in most contients, around the world. 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. Porcupines average 13 to 20 pounds. They live primarily on the inner bark of trees during the winter, but also eat evergreen needles. A porcupine eats tender bark and twigs, along with other types of vegetation. Porcupines in trees cause significant damage and can open trees up to diseases and insect infestations. They prefer softwood trees. Whatever the reason, they are always the source of headache for many gardeners who want to protect trees. Predators. They eat natural bark and stems, and have been known to invade campgrounds and chew on canoe paddles. In fall, when porcupines eat a lot of acorns and beechnuts, look for nipped twigs under oak and beech trees. Mostly Bark, and pulp of trees, leaves, nuts, berries. Adults have up to 39,000 quills. 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