PORCUPINES.

This article presents information on porcupines. Linguistically speaking, porcupines meander through Middle English, Middle French and Old Italian, originating with the Latin for "pig prickle". They are not pigs, however; they are rodents, and they take the red ribbon for being the second largest rodent on the North American continent. Procupines can grow up to well over a yard in length including their tail, and they weigh in at up to 40 pounds. It is not the size of the porcupine that makes it a worthy opponent. It is the 30,000 barbed quills that each animals packs. These quills can reach four inches in length. They are actually modified hairs attached loosely to the animal, and they are mostly hollow along the shaft.