2007-12-02 12:18:11 · 3 answers · asked by Patrick W 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
They are only alike superficially. Hedgehogs are insectivores and porcupines are rodents. Hedgehogs eat worms and insects on the ground and porcupines (in North America) eat tree bark and buds in the high branches and will chew up and destroy tools and things you touch with sweaty hands since they crave salt, and love to gnaw. They will chew the wires and hoses under the hood in your car, so beware. Hedgehogs are not found in America, and are just harmless. Porcupines will also swat animals (like your pet dog) in the face with their tails, if they get close to them, and the quills burrow themselves in. A vet will have to painfully pull those barbed quills out or they will keep working further ways inwards, the dog may get a bad infection from them and die. Porcupines won't attack you but give them their space, to stay safe. They can also grow a good bit bigger than hedgehogs. Even bigger ones live in Africa.
2007-12-02 12:45:53 · answer #1 · answered by Steve K 3 · 13⤊ 0⤋
Porcupine Vs Hedgehog
2016-10-01 10:07:01 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Porcupine And Hedgehog
2016-12-12 04:01:21 · answer #3 · answered by clauss 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Porcupines have very long barbed dangerous quills that can come off and stick in the face of the predator if it gets too close. They may turn around and back up towards the predator to protect themselves. Porcupines are also rodents.
Hedgehogs will roll into a ball when in danger, so that it makes it harder for the predator to try to bite. They have very short quills that can still poke but do not come out. Hedgehogs are much smaller and less dangerous than porcupines.
2007-12-03 00:41:13 · answer #4 · answered by Akatsuki 7 · 12⤊ 1⤋
A porcupine is a member of the order rodentia which included mice and squirrels. A hedgehog belongs to the order erinaceomorpha, which mostly contained other species of hedgehogs and moon rats.
2007-12-02 12:47:06 · answer #5 · answered by naz 5 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Generally speaking, the hegdehog is a small spiney mammal (indeed it is Britain's only spiney mammal) which belongs to the group Erinaceus europaeus. The porcupine is a nocturnal (nighttime) animal from the rodent family, A porcupine is any of 23 species of rodent belonging to the families Erethizontidae and Hystricidae porcupines have tails.
2016-03-22 20:26:02 · answer #6 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Hedgeehogs do not have quills. they have hollow tube hairs hardened by keratin.the are not barbed and they only lose them if under duress,like shedding hair. Porcupines have quills that they can release,not throw. They are barbed at the end so they will stick in who ever the hit, which can lead to infection, the quills are not poisonous and NO they are not the same animals as a hedgehog.
2013-10-15 08:22:39 · answer #7 · answered by biden sniffs hair 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
unlike the porcupine the hedgehog does not have poisonous quills, they are not barbed either. while the porcupine is in the rodent order the hedgehog is in an order all of its own.
2007-12-02 12:30:17 · answer #8 · answered by lehellcat 2 · 1⤊ 4⤋
They are completly different! hedgehogs are smaller. hedgehogs quills are not as long as porcupines, and hedgehogs are brown or tan and porcupines are grey.
2007-12-03 12:16:18 · answer #9 · answered by clueless 2 · 2⤊ 3⤋
Hedgehogs tend not to have the huge prickly spines and are sold as pets in some places.
2007-12-02 12:28:10 · answer #10 · answered by InsomniaSAH 2 · 4⤊ 3⤋