Analysis of Porcupine Mating and Reproduction Process

Porcupine can be roughly divided into the Old World and the New World, between which there are completely different ecological environment and social structure. New World porcupines include the well-studied North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), which lives in trees and feeds on leaves, fruit, and bark. Old World porcupines live on the ground (places like caves) and feed on fruits, roots and bulbs. Then there is the social structure. Porcupines in the New World generally live in groups while porcupines in the Old World live on a family basis.

The mating systems of the two kinds of porcupines are also very different. The Old World porcupine is one of the few monogamous animals on earth. A pair of adult porcupines will stay together for a lifetime and breed many times a year (they can give birth in about 90 days of pregnancy).

On the other hand, female North American porcupines mate only once a year for 12 hours (usually rarely with other New World porcupines). In fact, their "frigidity" is not their own decision, because their vaginal menstruation is often sealed with a thin film. Only in September, the membranes of their vaginas dissolve and begin to secrete foul-smelling mucus, and the males smell it. But when the first male arrived at her habitat, she wasn't really ready to ovulate, so the first one was just waiting for her to be ready-while creating plenty of time and opportunity for other smelling male North American porcupines. As a result, males who find the same female pig will start a war, which is so fierce that they have scars on their bodies, lack of ears, and so on.

The male defending the victory will sit on a branch slightly lower than the female pig to guard her, which will ensure that other boars come and approach. When it is time for the female to ovulate, the boar will urinate on her body to stimulate her hormones to make her estrus, which can be regarded as the official topic of mating.

However, unlike human urination, urination here is similar to ejaculation, a high-speed way to shoot urine from a branch to another branch.

If the female pig does not want to mate with him, she will scream at him, shake her urine and run away, but she may also do something unfriendly, such as biting him, sweeping him with her tail, and so on. The male must respect the wishes of the female because she has measures to prevent herself from being raped.

When the female accepts the male companion, she will raise her hind legs slightly, raise her tail to the back to prevent the stab on the tail from hitting the boar, and the thorns on her body will no longer stand upright, and she will obey the thorns in other parts of her body. make it easier for the male to climb on her without getting hurt. When they mate several times and the female feels ready to conceive, the male leaves the boar voluntarily, and the male leaves quickly to find the next target. The pregnant female is pregnant for the next seven months and will not mate again until she gives birth to the baby for several months to take care of the newborn.

Interestingly, Old World porcupines can mate again as soon as the female gives birth, but there is no risk of pregnancy, perhaps because their monogamous family model continues intact.