My path crossed with this little fellow’s yesterday, but I didn’t try to pet him. He is, of course, a young porcupine. His strange name reportedly derives from the Middle French words that mean “thorny hog” (or “spiny pig”), which were based on the Latin words “porcus” (pig) combined with “spina” (thorn).
Porcupines don’t hibernate, but they do hole up in very cold or nasty weather. They don’t shoot their quills, but they do swing their quilled tail like a spiked club with alarming force and effect. They’re considered cute and interesting by many people (including me), but they kill and wound valuable trees by girding them with their big teeth. They’re part of the grand natural scheme, but some people (including me) wonder whether the harm that they do outweighs their inherent value (if any) in today’s world.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on November 12, 2025; sex assumed.)