
I used the
exclamation mark in the title for I wanted to convey the excitement and surprise I felt when I saw this Porcupine ambling along the side of a woodland road. We had gone to the ocean for the day and my head was still full of tides and sand, and images of barnacles, periwinkles and gulls, and the least I had expected to add to my list for the day was a Porcupine, for I seldom see them. So to see one in open view, walking along the roadside was a treat!
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And the great thing about this sighting was that it continued on its walk even though we continued behind, following it while taking pictures through the windshield.
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Would you
believe that this solitary rodent is reputed to have about 30000 quills and can unleash some of them by lashing its tail
when
threatened? I kept that fact in mind as I drove ahead of it, further up the road, and then stopped to get more pictures as it continued up the road towards me.

The Porcupine is Canada's second largest rodent, next in size to the Beaver. And like Beaver, Porcupines have a strong orange coating on the outside of their teeth and gnaw on things to help control the growth of their teeth as Beaver do.
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After taking a few more pictures it seemed like this prickly guy
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finally realized there was someone up ahead, standing in the road taking pictures of him, and he turned and ambled off into the woods.