Porcupines appear in mythology in regions where the animal has economic significance, such as for food or in the production of quillwork textiles.

Terminology and etymology

The word "porcupine" comes from the Latin porcus + spina , from Old Italian porcospino, . A regional American name for the animal is "quill-pig".

A baby porcupine is known as a porcupette. When born, a porcupette's quills are soft hair;