Have You Ever Heard a Porcupine Make This Sound?
People see porcupines and know their quills are sharp, so they know to keep their distance. But most people don’t know what a porcupine sounds like. You might be surprised by what you hear in this video.
Where You Can Find Porcupines in Michigan
Aside from being found high in the trees, porcupines in Michigan mostly live in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula. They prefer thick woods, evergreen trees, and quiet, forested areas.
Porcupines are common throughout Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, including Isle Royale, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, and the area around Tahquamenon Falls. They can also be found across most counties in the northern Lower Peninsula, with their range extending as far south as mid-Michigan.
Porcupines were once found throughout Michigan. However, extensive land clearing and farming during the 19th century pushed most of their range north into Michigan’s heavily forested areas.
Read More: New Michigan Deer Rule Could Let Hunters Earn a Second Buck
Like beavers and coyotes, porcupines are making a comeback in Michigan and expanding their range farther south into the Lower Peninsula.
Prepare to Be Surprised by This Porcupine Sound
Ken and Brenda Borton have a camera set up in Gaylord, Michigan, that streams live on the Snowman Cam website. They leave food out for wildlife, attracting a variety of animals, including black bears, deer, raccoons, birds, coyotes, opossums, porcupines and more.
Recently, the camera captured four porcupines feeding together at night. But one of them wasn’t happy that the other three had left no room at the table and made its displeasure known with a sound most Michiganders have probably never heard a porcupine make. Check out the video below and turn up the volume!
I’ve only heard this sound once before. I had recently photographed a small bear hanging around my property in Newaygo County, which had me on alert. One morning, just before daylight, I was walking through a cornfield toward my tree stand when something black and round, almost like a small bear cub, crossed in front of me.
I took another step and suddenly heard the same sound from the video above. That’s when I realized I had stepped on a porcupine’s foot. It scared the heck out of me because I was already on alert for bears in the area, and I had never heard a porcupine make a sound like that before.
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Porcupine Mountains
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