Habitat. Habitat. Habitat of the Porcupine. Range and Habitat: The range is most of Canada, Alaska, northern Mexico, and the western and northern U.S. It prefers mixed forests. Different species can found in desert habitats, various forests, hillsides, mountains, and rocky cliffs. Development and forestry practices that impact habitat can affect porcupine … Once forced to leave West Virginia, the North American porcupine is returning to the Mountain State from populations in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Fireweed grows well along roadsides and the emerging shoots are popular with porcupines. With an extensive range, porcupines can be found in varied climates, and at varied elevations. Porcupines are covered in about 30,000 quills. The Division of Wildlife’s mission is to conserve and improve fish and wildlife resources and their habitats for sustainable use and appreciation by all. The beaver is the only rodent in North America that is larger than the North American porcupine. Porcupines live in open tundra, deciduous forests, and desert chaparral. Habitat. In general, porcupines live in just about any terrain, including deserts, grasslands, mountains, rainforests and forests. The porcupine tends to stay in the same home range and reuses the same den year after year. Because quills are so lightly attached, they come off easily when a predator encounters them. They can be found in altitudes up to 12,100 ft. high. Habitat. Some New World species are arboreal, which means that they live in the trees. Found from sea level to treeline, in the forested areas of every county except San Juan and Island. New World and Old World porcupines occupy a wide range of habitats. In the west, it can be found in scrubby areas. Habitat. In the winter, it may eat bark. It often climbs trees to find food. The North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), also known as the Canadian porcupine, is a large rodent in the New World porcupine family. Basic facts about Crested Porcupine: lifespan, distribution and habitat map, lifestyle and social behavior, mating habits, diet and nutrition, population size and status. The North American porcupine lives in coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests. Quills are not thrown or shot, as popularly conceived. In the non-forested areas found along riparian corridors with trees or … In the fall mating season porcupines are on the move, and in the spring they are drawn to roadsides because of early, emerging vegetation. Clipart .com Facebook The porcupine is a common and wide-spread resident of the Adirondacks where it occurs to elevations of at least 1220 m (4000 ft). Porcupine habitat varies geographically. Diet The porcupine is an herbivore. Each adult porcupine has a home range of six to 14 acres in size, depending on food availability. The porcupine's most famous feature—the quill—is hollow, 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7 centimeters) in length, and lightly attached to the porcupine's skin. Erethizon dorsatum uses a broad variety of habitats. It eats leaves, twigs and green plants like skunk cabbage and clover. The porcupine is generally found in coniferous forests, but may also frequent mixed or deciduous stands in search of food. In the Pacific Northwest, these animals are primarily ground dwelling.