Many varieties of animals are available in this world. Sometimes they look like same. It would be very difficult to identify the animal when we see them from a distance. Porcupine and Hedgehog will look like the same animal, but they are different on their own and will possess various characteristics.
Porcupine vs Hedgehog
The main difference between a Porcupine and a Hedgehog is that in Porcupine, they use their quill to attack their enemies. But Hedgehog can bite their enemies since their quill height will be very short compared to the porcupines. Porcupines will look bigger, but hedgehogs will look shorter because of their quill size.
A porcupine is an animal with lots of hair on its head. These hairs are called the quills of that animal. They might look like very dangerous animals, but they won’t even scare you unless you go and disturb them. They will attack humans and other animals only to save themselves. Because they don’t have proper eyesight to watch things happening around them.
A hedgehog is an animal that will look like a porcupine. They have similar characteristics, and some people even take them to their homes and use them as their pet animals. It can be bought from nearby stores because they are not available in small stores. But they can be able to survive only for 2-5 years. After that, they will die on their own.
Comparison Table Between a Porcupine and a Hedgehog
| Parameters of Comparison | Porcupine | Hedgehog |
| Life Span | 18 years | 2-5 years |
| Quill height | Long | Short |
| Type | Herbivores | Insectivores |
| Body size | 20-36 inches | 4-12 inches |
| Tail size | 8-10 inches | 2 inches |
What is a Porcupine?
Porcupine comes under the type of rodent. It is an animal with lots of hair in the head area, which will protect it against attacks. If you try to tease a porcupine, it will try to attack. Otherwise, they won’t disturb you regularly. Mostly they will be afraid of humans. Whenever they see any human creature, they will go and hide to save themselves.
If the porcupine is brave or if they are in groups, they will attack humans. They don’t know to bite any humans. They just use their spike-like hair creature to attack human beings. There are many porcupine species available in the world. You can’t hunt any porcupine and eat it as a meal. Their spikes will be sharp, and sometimes it will hurt you in that process.
If porcupine hits or attacks, it won’t contain venom in its body. But the pain will be worse because of the sudden attack. Their eyesight will be very poor. Sometimes they only use their nose and sounds near to them to walk or attack others. They will not come and disturb you until you go and disturb them. They are one of the best animals that can swim in the water. But they are very bad at climbing trees and other hill regions.
What is a Hedgehog?
A hedgehog is an animal that comes under the family of mammals. They have very sharp hair, and they will be very frightening. Even though they look very scary, but they are not dangerous like some other animals, which will straight away attack humans. But they cannot tolerate it if humans try to attack or disturb them. If you plan to tease them, then they will become dangerous and even scarier.
To save them from the danger, they will start to attack humans and other animals. They cannot cuddle themselves with other animals because of the quills in their head. They will look like a porcupine but are different from porcupines. They have teeth which they will use to bite humans and other animals. But that will happen in a very rare case.
Even if a hedgehog dies, it won’t be very much stinky, unlike other animals. If you go near a hedgehog, you will find that they are odourless creatures. It is not like you will never smell anything near a hedgehog. You will be able to smell something, but that will be a pleasant smell. If you would like to keep hedgehogs as pet animals, you can buy them at small stores because large stores usually do not have them.
Main Differences Between a Porcupine and a Hedgehog
- A porcupine can survive for up to 18 years in this world, and if it’s a North American porcupine, it can even live up to 30 years. On the other hand, a hedgehog can live up to 2-5 years.
- A porcupine does not know how to bite its attackers. It uses its quills for attacking. But hedgehogs know how to bite their attackers.
- Porcupines come under the type of herbivores. On the other hand, hedgehogs come under the type of insectivores.
- The height of the porcupine’s quill will be very long. On the other hand, the height of the hedgehog’s quill will be short.
- Porcupines are very famous in North America. But hedgehogs do not live in North America and are found in Europe.
Conclusion
Both Porcupines and Hedgehogs are available in this world. But it is very rare to find them in common places. It will look scary because of the quills in their head. If you ever come across a porcupine or a hedgehog, then don’t tease them or scare them. To save themselves from human wrath or other animals, porcupines will attack with the help of quills, and hedgehogs will attack with the help of their teeth.
But it is not like they will attack human beings often. They will attack only if they find any danger looming around them. Otherwise, they are not of any harm to human beings. Even some people will find hedgehogs as cute creatures and will take them to their homes and will use them as their pet animals.
References
- https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/intellect/jwcp/2012/00000005/00000003/art00003