New Porcupette Born At Smithsonian’s National Zoo In D.C.

WASHINGTON, DC — Keepers at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute found a newborn prehensile-tailed porcupine clinging to a branch near its mother, Beatrix, on the morning of May 20, according to a post on the zoo’s Facebook page.

The porcupette is the fourth offspring for Beatrix and her mate, Quillbur. Their previous offspring are Quillow, born in 2023; Fofo, born in 2022; and Quilliam, born in 2019, according to the zoo.

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The newborn is part of the fourth generation of prehensile-tailed porcupines born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.

Keepers said the baby has bonded with Beatrix and appears to be healthy and strong, according to the zoo. The porcupette is currently on exhibit at the Small Mammal House.

At birth, a porcupette’s hair and quills are flexible, but they dry and harden within minutes after being exposed to air, according to the zoo. The newborn’s long, rust-colored hair has sharp, prickly tips, while small black-and-white quills beneath the fur have hooked barbs that serve as a defense mechanism.

The zoo said the porcupette’s reddish-brown hair helps camouflage it in the tree canopy.

Newborn porcupettes look anatomically similar whether they are male or female until they are about 6 months old, according to the zoo. Keepers used thick, protective gloves to gently pet the porcupette and collected quills that stuck in the gloves.

Those quills were sent to the zoo’s Center for Conservation Genomics, where scientists are running DNA analysis for the gene linked to sex determination. The zoo said it expects to know the baby’s sex in a few weeks.