User:Jaybee625/sandbox

Article addition suggestions: For Defence/Quills: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porcupine

• - place below diet and above quills
• - adding to this because there is no section on the defence behaviours/mechanisms
  • -I find the quills section doesn't describe the true use for defense

Outline of Plan:

Adding defense as a section of it’s own and placing “quills” below it. I’m not sure if I’m going to have different subsections for each of the behaviours or just as multiple paragraphs. I don’t think I have enough information for separated sections.

Overview

Who preys on the porcupine, what does the porcupine do

3 sensory modalities: sight, sound, smell

“The defense displays of H. cristata were described and attributed to one of the following four categories, characterized by increasing aggressiveness: (1) quill and crest erection; (2) tail rattling; (3) hind foot stamping and growling; (4) backyard/sideways attack.” (NAP)

Have very few predators.

• - Mountain lions
• - The fisher (Martes pennant)

Aposematism: based on warning colouration. It describes a family of antipredator adaptations in which a warning signal is associated with the unprofitability of a prey item to potential predator

Colouring

• - Similar to a skunk. Black and white. This is because predators of porcupines are mostly active at night and are colour blind.
• - The quills contain molecules that flash white and enhance the look of a skunk

Auditory

• - “ominous clattering of the teeth” paired with a body shivering
• - Do not tooth clack unless an encounter is imminent

Odor

• -Used when sight and sound have failed.
• -Released during times of stress
• -Incredibly invasive and potent
• -Comes from the skin above the base of the tail
• -“The warning odor is released in conjunction with quill erection and is part of a trimodal signal. The porcupine sends a visual signal in the form of contrasting black-and-white areas along its lower back and tail. An acoustic signal may be added in the form of tooth-clacking. Finally, the olfactory signal consists of a pungent odor released from the skin of the lower back (Roze, 1989). All three signals are transmitted effectively in the porcupine’s natural travel habitat, the nocturnal forest floor.” (Warning Odor)

Quills

Used when prior three have not worked

• -Tail swinging, falling out of trees (??), backing up.
• -When a defense response against possible predators is triggered, the muscles contract and raise the quills
• -“When threatened or harassed, porcupines defend themselves by erecting their quills and crest, and running sideways or backyard into enemies, possibly leaving quills in what they run into” (When Quills Kill)
• -Possible antibiotic properties:
  • -Antibiotic factor focused on lipid material from the quills greasy covering
    • - Roze, U., Locke, D.C. & Vatakis, N. J Chem Ecol (1990) 16: 725. https://doi-org.qe2a-proxy.mun.ca/10.1007/BF01016483

Defence

Defence behaviour displays in a porcupine depend on sight, scent and sound. Often, displays are shown when a porcupine becomes agitated or annoyed. There are four main displays seen in a porcupine which are quill erection, teeth clattering, emitting of odour, and attack. These displays are ranked from least aggressive to most aggressive respectively. A porcupines colouring aids in part of it’s defence as most of the predators are nocturnal and colour blind. A porcupine’s markings are black and white. The dark body and coarse hair of the porcupine are a dark brown/black and when quills are raised, present a white strip down it’s back mimicking the look of a skunk. This, along with the raising of the sharp quills, deters predators. Along with the raising of the quills, porcupines clatter their teeth causing warning noise to let predators know not to come closer. The incisors vibrate against each other, the strike zone shifts back and the cheek teeth clatter. This behaviour is often paired with body shivering which is used to further display the dangerous quills. The rattling of quills is aided by the hollow quills at the back end of the porcupine. The use of odor is when the sight and sound have failed. An invasive scent is produced from the skin above the tail in times of stress, and is often seen with quill erection. If the above processes fail, the porcupine will attack by running sideways or backwards into predators. A porcupines tail is also able to swing in the direction of prey. If contact is made, the quills could be impaled into the predator causing injury or death.