Head to head
European Hedgehog vs North American Porcupine
Both animals answer the same problem, a slow body in a world of predators, with a coat of sharp spines, and that is about all they share. The hedgehog is a small nocturnal insect-eater from Europe, Africa, and Asia, related to shrews and moles. The porcupine is a large plant-eating rodent, and the New World species covered here is a bulky climber of North American forests. Their spines work in completely different ways.
| European Hedgehog | North American Porcupine | |
|---|---|---|
| Animal group | Insectivore, related to shrews and moles | Rodent, related to beavers and guinea pigs |
| Native range | Europe, and (other species) Africa and Asia | Forests of North America; other porcupines in South America, Africa, Asia |
| Weight | About 0.6 to 1.2 kg | About 5 to 14 kg |
| Spines | Roughly 5,000 short smooth spines; no barbs | Up to 30,000 quills; each tipped with backward-facing barbs |
| Do the spines detach? | No; firmly rooted | Yes; they release on contact and are replaced |
| Main defence | Curls into a complete ball | Turns its back, raises quills, slaps with the tail |
| Diet | Insects, worms, slugs, snails | Bark, twigs, leaves, buds; craves salt |
| Winter | Hibernates in cold climates | Active all winter, often high in a tree |
Hedgehog vs Porcupine: common questions
Are hedgehogs and porcupines related?
No, not closely at all. Hedgehogs belong to an old group of small insect-eating mammals, the order Eulipotyphla, whose other members are the shrews, moles, and solenodons. Porcupines are rodents, in the same order as mice, beavers, and capybaras, and they gnaw with ever-growing front teeth. The two lineages split more than 70 million years ago. Their spiny coats are a case of convergent evolution, with two unrelated animals independently turning some of their hair into weapons because it works well against predators.
Can a porcupine throw its quills, and can a hedgehog?
Neither can throw spines; that part is a myth for both. A porcupine's quills are only loosely attached at the base when raised, so when it lashes its muscular tail or an attacker simply touches it, quills come away and stick in the aggressor, which can look from a distance like they were thrown. The barbs then make them migrate deeper with the victim's own muscle movements. A hedgehog's spines are firmly anchored and do not come loose at all; the animal relies entirely on rolling up. A dog or a person who tangles with a hedgehog gets pricked but does not end up with spines embedded.
Which is more dangerous to a curious dog?
The porcupine, by a wide margin. A dog that bites or noses a porcupine can end up with dozens or hundreds of barbed quills driven into its face, mouth, tongue, and throat, which are extremely painful, hard to remove, prone to infection, and can migrate into joints, eyes, or the chest over days, so it is a genuine veterinary emergency. A dog that pesters a rolled-up hedgehog gets a sore nose and usually learns its lesson. In parts of North America, porcupine encounters are one of the more common wildlife injuries seen by rural vets.