On Wednesday I saw this porcupine high at the top of a tree on Raleigh Street, feasting away on bark. Then on Thursday there were two of them (one up high, one down low).
I was kind of hoping there would be three today, but the overnight snow must have drove them off.
37 thoughts on “West Duluth Porcupine Hotel”
Super cute! A coworker who was not raised in the area saw “a big slow cat with really weird fur.” (Everyone was later able to determine that he had seen a porcupine but did not recognize it.)
This just in! The snow may have drove them off, but they’re not afraid of the rain. There are three of them now.
One is in a different tree, next to the original tree. You can see the two in the main tree easily, but the other one is just a small shadow at the bottom.
They will not be cute when someone’s city dog decides to tussle with them! And believe you me, there’re going to be some unhappy trees in that neighborhood.
Porcupines are proof that God has a twisted sense of humor.
I’ll have to monitor the damage to the trees as time goes on to determine if I wish to continue considering the porcupine my spirit animal.
I didn’t even know that porcupines climbed trees!
I’ve had a few really close encounters with porcupines out at Jay Cooke.
This could pose a serious threat to the raptors.
Flashback time.
They sleep in trees? To stay away from predators … maybe?
They are not really porcupines. They are part of the Bothan Spynet, planted by Chip Cravaack to observe Duluth.
The Bothans would *never* have worked for Chip Cravaack. Unless there was a profit in it. Is there money in it?
I don’t think they sleep in trees, Jesus. They go up there to eat the bark. They prefer leaves, herbs, twigs, etc., but this time of year bark does the trick.
They are chewing those trees to bits right now. I’ve seen at least one for five days in a row.
I’m saying they at least nap, Paul. I swear I’ve seen it.
Still munching away after nine days.
Is there a limit on tree buffet consumption with a paid admittance? (and don’t they have to wear a wristband or something?)
Incidentally, I have a large maple that could use a snacking-trim, send em over!
On day 11, Porky finally was on a branch low enough for me to get a decent photo with my cheap camera.
Thanks for these, Paul. Really fun pics.
The porcucam will be more popular than the bears in Ely.
Jack Hanna was showing off a North American porcupine on his Animal Adventures show this morning and noted that porcupines feast on different trees in different seasons, allowing the trees to regenerate.
The West Duluth Porcupine Hotel was occupied for about three weeks. There seems to be a vacancy now.
Following up on this tree five months after porcupine occupancy, we see some of the branches still look thoroughly munched, but for the most part the tree is thriving.
Well Jack Hanna’s theory just went out the window. I saw today that Porky is back in the same tree.
Yay, Porky’s back!!! He looks so cute at a distance. And yet, up close….
Jack Hanna’s tree theory is probably correct. It’s just been so warm, and so snow free, that poor old Porky is getting really, really confused about his proper behavior per Nature’s Laws.
I suppose it could be a different porcupine than the three I saw last year.
Anyway, today marks 20 days in a row that at least one porcupine has occupied the “hotel.” I saw two a couple of times last week.
An update on Porky: He finally took to hiding the day of the Leap Day 2012 Snowmageddon, but returned for a while before finally leaving the “hotel.”
I’ve been seeing this woodchuck in the area of late, so we go from one rodent to the other.
Hopefully my rodent identification is solid here, and no one will have to pop on and tell me it’s a marmot or gopher or something else.
Porky’s back for year three, on a mission to defy Jack Hanna and chew this tree to the ground.
Our friend Porky’s back!!! Good to see you, glad you made it through another winter.
That tree must be very delicious.
Anyone want to setup a porcupine webcam? 8^)
My wife has your porcupine webcam right here, Les!
I haven’t seen any West Duluth porcupines for a few months, but this one showed up at the cabin door in McGrath expecting it could strut in like the place was a porcupine tavern.
As it chews the side of the cabin, my wife moves in with the camera and the porpupine makes a little “tick, tick, tick” sound that apparently is supposed to mean, “back the hell off.” She does.
Forget the tick, tick, tick. That thing just lit a fire on your doorstep!
This video is from Dallas, Texas, but it is the greatest porcupine video I have ever seen. It stars Teddy Bear the Talking Porcupine.
The McGrath porcupine tavern video made me laugh and smile.
This one: I thought it was kinda…creepy? I watched it right before I went to sleep, and had really bad dreams. Maybe it was the Walking Dead episode I watched, but I don’t think so. Zombies have nothing on a talking, singing, porcupine.
Creepy.
Thank you for this completely awesome video.
I had no idea porcupines made noise. I see now that, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife, “For a solitary creature, the porcupine is quite vocal. As it waddles along, it can be heard making noises to itself like an absent-minded person.”
And here I thought I wanted a skunk as a pet. So cuddly.
Well, I want to like it, and Teddy Bear the Porcupine is really, really cute…but I still find it sort of, slightly, kind of…disturbing? It’s like his voice reminds me of the worm-thing that goes into Chekhov’s brain in “Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan.” Or the noise that the alien baby-thing makes, right after it rips out of John Hurt’s guts in Alien, and right before it books from the surgery table.
Maybe it’s just me.
Back again, earlier this week.
On schedule, Porky is back for 2016.