8/19/2005: Baby porcupines [updated: hedgehogs]

Happy Friday - this shot of baby porcupines comes with no further information, but it's similar to the shot of baby pandas from a few weeks ago and I just couldn't resist it.

For the sake of the mom, it amazes me that they come out this way :eek:

OUCH!!! Now that would make a kidney stone feel like a pleasent experience. :eek3:

However I think I remember reading somewhere that their spines are soft when they are born, and then within a few hours they harden and then become nasty. All the spins really are is a modified form of hair.

Amazing the adaptations nature comes up with.

Tribal Peirced Tattooed Guy: "Now that's a nice pair of earrings......"

A part of me is laughing at myself for thinking they are cute. But, I can't resist miniature stuff!

They are so ugly that they're cute! Of course, this just makes me think of the IotD doggie who got spiked. I wonder how he's doing...

What a bunch of little pricks! :lol:

:lol2:

I don't know why, but those lil guys remind me of jalapeno poppers. They may be small, but they can still mess you up.

Elspode wrote:

What a bunch of little pricks! :lol:

Reminds me of a joke I heard a long time ago.

Q: What's the difference between Porsches and porcupines?

A: With a porcupine, the pricks are on the outside.

Nursing must be interesting for both parties. :mg:

the camera angle makes it look like that person has a ridiculously large and strong thumb at the base. Hm...

What do you call that part of your hand?

We called it "the drumstick" in orchestra (it was important in learning vibrato.)

They may be cute, but they remind me of these guys.

Those are baby hedgehogs, not porcupines.

tulzscha wrote:

Those are baby hedgehogs, not porcupines.

How the heck can you tell?

Oh, and hello. Welcome aboard!

Well, the hedgehogs outta the bag. :blush:

The actual original picture is available here:

http://hedgehogclub.com/gallery.html
http://hedgehogclub.com/gallery/photo3.html

Thanks John!

Wow, TRIBBLES! :D

Brianna wrote:

How the heck can you tell?

My roomate in college had a baby hedgehog, it started out looking a lot like that.

For anyone wondering what a baby porcupine really looks like, there's pictures and information about one born earlier this year at

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/SmallMammals/babyporcupine.cfm

If you Google for 'baby porcupine' you'll see just how common it is for people to mistake hedgehogs as young porcupines. Poor hedgehogs get no recognition.

(rap beat in background)...."can't touch this"..........

I don't think we have those down here. No room for them with all the illegals we have.......

richlevy wrote:

Wow, TRIBBLES! :D

Thank goodness, it wasn't just me that thought that ...

Damn, I never heard of a Prehensile-tailed Porcupine. :mg:

I think the baby pocupine is really cute, even though I have a fondness for hedgehogs. From reading Alice in Wonderland, and wondering about these animals that were used in croquet games, and then hearing stories aobut them when living in England.

The means of determining the sex of the baby was amusing.

Wow how cute those two are. I hope these little guys aren't born with those prickles. How uncomfortable would that be giving birth to those? Be like passing razor blades. Ouch. :eek: :eek2:

gerstle wrote:

the camera angle makes it look like that person has a ridiculously large and strong thumb at the base. Hm...

What do you call that part of your hand?

It's called the thenar eminence. Useless fact #362.

That sounds like a position at the Vatican, Wombat. :biggrin:

Or from the Kama Sutra.

Isn't that the one after "Bee Taking Honey from the Flower"?

Oddly, Boing Boing has a similar picture with the same mistake.