Mary McDonald / Spectacled cobra {Naja naja kaouthia} albino in defensive display, captive, from SE Asia

Jen Guyton / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) barely alive, with Cape porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) quills through his abdomen. Kalahari Desert, South Africa.

Jabruson Motion / THIS VIDEO CLIP WILL BE AVAILABLE TO VIEW ONLINE SOON. TO VIEW NOW, PLEASE CONTACT US. - Boy collects African brush-tailed porcupine (Atherurus africanus) bushmeat and puts it in a bag, Lidjombo fores...

Tim Fitzharris / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) eating an apple, North America

Konrad Wothe / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), North America

Tim Fitzharris / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) portrait, Montana

Gerry Ellis / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) climbing tree, North America

Tim Fitzharris / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) feeding on fruit, Montana

Matthias Breiter / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) in willow tree near the Denali highway, Alaska

Michael Quinton / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) feeding on Pussy Willow (Salix discolor) in spring, Alaska

Michael Quinton / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) sitting in a tree in winter, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Michael Quinton / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) feeding on Pussy Willow (Salix discolor) in spring, Alaska

Yashpal Rathore / Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) foraging at night. Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India. Camera trap image.

Yashpal Rathore / Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) foraging at night. Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India. Camera trap image.

Yashpal Rathore / Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) foraging at night. Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India. Camera trap image.

Yashpal Rathore / Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) Western Ghats, Karnataka, India. Camera Trap image.

Yashpal Rathore / Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) inquisitive young tiger cub following Porcupine (Hystrix indica) at night, Kanha National Park, Central India. Camera trap image.

Suzi Eszterhas / Cape porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) Kalahari Desert, South Africa

Sebastian Kennerknecht / Indian Crested Porcupine (Hystrix indica) near house at night, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Ernie Janes / Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) close up of quill pattern, captive.

Ernie Janes / Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) close up of quill pattern, captive.

Jen Guyton / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) barely alive, with Cape porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) quills through his abdomen. Kalahari Desert, South Africa.

Jen Guyton / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) barely alive, with Cape porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) quills through his abdomen. Kalahari Desert, South Africa.

Jen Guyton / Meerkat (Suricata suricatta) barely alive, with Cape porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) quills through his abdomen. Kalahari Desert, South Africa.

Albert Lleal / Porcupine (Hystricidae) quill cross-section, magnified at 100x

Will Burrard-Lucas / Porcupine, (Hystrix africaeaustralis) drinking from pool, taken with remote camera. Liuwa Plain National Park, Zambia. November

Cyril Ruoso / Baka boy holding up Mamba snake (Dendroaspis sp) and African brush tailed porcupine (Atherurus africanus) killed during hunt, South East Cameroon, July 2008.

Philippe Clement / Two Indian crested porcupines (Hystrix indica) resting, captive, native to southern Asia and the Middle East.

Philippe Clement / Two Indian crested porcupines / Indian porcupine (Hystrix indica), native to southern Asia and the Middle East, captive

Daniel Heuclin / Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine (Atherurus macrourus), Malysia, March.

Juan Carlos Munoz / Close up of Porcupine quills (Hystricidae) captive.

Jabruson Motion / THIS VIDEO CLIP WILL BE AVAILABLE TO VIEW ONLINE SOON. TO VIEW NOW, PLEASE CONTACT US. - Boy collects African brush-tailed porcupine (Atherurus africanus) bushmeat, puts it in a bag and walks away, Li...

Jabruson / Bushmeat preparation: quills removed from Brush-tailed Porcupine (Atherurus africanus), Mbomo, Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Republic of Congo

Jabruson / Bushmeat preparation: quills removed from Brush-tailed Porcupine (Atherurus africanus), Mbomo, Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Republic of Congo

Jabruson / Bushmeat preparation:removing quills from Brush-tailed Porcupine (Atherurus africanus), Mbomo, Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Republic of Congo

Tony Heald / Lion (Panthera leo) male, with Cape Porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) quills in mane, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa, January

Pete Oxford / African Brush-tailed Porcupine (Atherurus africanus) being sold as bushmeat, Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Tony Phelps / Cape Porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) in limestone fynbos. DeHoop Nat reserve, Western Cape, South Africa.

Tony Phelps / Cape Porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis)limestone fynbos. deHoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa.

Tony Phelps / Cape Porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) profile, deHoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa.

Tony Phelps / Cape Porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) deHoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa.

Tony Phelps / Cape Porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) deHoop Nature Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa.

Tony Phelps / Cape Porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) adult, dehoop Nat reserve, Western Cape, South Africa.

Heidi & Hans-Juergen Koch / Crested Porcupine (Hystrix cristata) in defensive posture, Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Heidi & Hans-Juergen Koch / Crested Porcupine (Hystrix cristata) in defensive posture, Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Sebastian Kennerknecht / Malayan Porcupine (Hystrix brachyura) in lowland rainforest at night, Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Sebastian Kennerknecht / Indian Crested Porcupine (Hystrix indica) at night, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Sebastian Kennerknecht / Indian Crested Porcupine (Hystrix indica) at night, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Mark Jones / Crested Porcupine (Hystrix cristata) digging, Laikipia, Kenya

Thomas Marent / Malayan Porcupine (Hystrix brachyura), Thailand

Thomas Marent / Malayan Porcupine (Hystrix brachyura) walking at night, Thailand

Thomas Marent / Malayan Porcupine (Hystrix brachyura) walking at night, Thailand

Konrad Wothe / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) in tree, North America

ZSSD / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) close-up

ZSSD / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) adult in tree, native to North America

Konrad Wothe / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) portrait in tree, North America

Konrad Wothe / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) detail of quills, North America

Konrad Wothe / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) baby, North America

Konrad Wothe / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) baby climbing in tree, North America

Konrad Wothe / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) mother and baby in tree, North America

Michael Quinton / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) feeding on Pussywillow (Salix discolor) in the spring, Alaska

Michael Quinton / Common Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) feeding on Mistletoe (Phoradendron serotinum) in winter, Island Park, Idaho

Sean Crane / Malayan Porcupine (Hystrix brachyura) at night, Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand

Sean Crane / Malayan Porcupine (Hystrix brachyura) at night, Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand

Sean Crane / Malayan Porcupine (Hystrix brachyura) at night, Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand

Heidi & Hans-Juergen Koch / Crested Porcupine (Hystrix cristata) quills, native to Africa

Heidi & Hans-Juergen Koch / Crested Porcupine (Hystrix cristata) quills, native to Africa, Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Paul D Stewart / Woodcut illustration of Crested Porcupine (Hystrix cristata) with colouring. From Gesner's 'Icones Animalium' publ. Christof Froschover, Zurich, 1560. Of Gesner's many woodcuts this is one of the more...

Mark Moffett / Asiatic Brush-tailed Porcupine (Atherurus macrourus) atop cage about to be released back into the wild by rangers, Tam Dao National Park, Vietnam

Mark Moffett / Asiatic Brush-tailed Porcupine (Atherurus macrourus) atop cage about to be released back into the wild by rangers, Tam Dao National Park, Vietnam

Roland Seitre / Crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata) leucistic, climbing over rocks, Refuge Decan, Republic of Djibouti.

Roland Seitre / Two Crested porcupines (Hystrix cristata) one leucistic, portrait, Refuge Decan, Republic of Djibouti.

Roland Seitre / Crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata) quills detail, Refuge Decan, Republic of Djibouti.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Malayan porcupine (Hystrix brachyura brachyura) portrait, Bali Safari, Indonesia. Captive.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Malayan porcupine (Hystrix brachyura brachyura) portrait, Bali Safari, Indonesia. Captive.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Sunda porcupine (Hystrix javanica) portrait, private collection, Jakarta, Indonesia. Captive.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Sunda porcupine (Hystrix javanica) portrait, private collection, Jakarta, Indonesia. Captive.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Sunda porcupine (Hystrix javanica) portrait, private collection, Jakarta, Indonesia. Captive.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Sunda porcupine (Hystrix javanica) head portrait, private collection, Jakarta, Indonesia. Captive.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Malayan porcupine (Hystrix brachyura brachyura) portrait, Night Safari, Singapore. Captive.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Philippine porcupine (Hystrix pumila) portrait, Plzen Zoo. Captive, occurs in Palawan.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Philippine porcupine (Hystrix pumila) portrait, Plzen Zoo. Captive, occurs in Palawan.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) rear view portrait, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. Captive, occurs in southern Asia and Middle East.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) portrait, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. Captive, occurs in southern Asia and Middle East.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / African crested porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) portrait, Riverside Zoo, Nebraska. Captive, occurs in central and southern Africa.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / African crested porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) portrait, Riverside Zoo, Nebraska. Captive, occurs in central and southern Africa.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Cape porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) portrait, John Ball Zoo. Captive, occurs in Southern Africa.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Cape porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) head portrait, John Ball Zoo. Captive, occurs in Southern Africa.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Cape porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis) portrait, John Ball Zoo. Captive, occurs in Southern Africa.

Roland Seitre / African brush-tailed porcupine (Atherurus africanus) portrait, Africa. Captive.

Roland Seitre / Long-tailed porcupine (Trichys fasciculata) looking up, portrait, Borneo. Captive.

Roland Seitre / Philippine porcupine (Hystrix pumila) portrait, Philippines. Captive.

Roland Seitre / Crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata) female with infant, portrait, Morocco. Captive.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine (Atherurus macrourus) portrait, Zoo Taiping. Captive.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine (Atherurus macrourus) head portrait, Zoo Taiping. Captive.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine (Atherurus macrourus) portrait, Zoo Taiping. Captive.

Joel Sartore / Photo Ark / Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine (Atherurus macrourus assamensis) portrait, Assam State Zoo and Botanical Garden. Captive.