‘Quill-y’ cute: Baby porcupine born at Utah’s Hogle Zoo

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A cute — but poky — face has been born at Utah’s Hogle Zoo. Visitors can get to know the baby porcupine while it’s in Utah for the next eight months.

The newest addition to the zoo is a baby North American porcupine — called a porcupette. The porcupette’s parents are Blackberry — its mom — and Barton — its dad.

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The porcupette was born on April 27, 2025, and weighed just over two pounds at birth, according to a release from the zoo. At three weeks old, it is just beginning to eat solid foods, but still nurses from its mother. It may take up to six months to determine the gender of the porcupette.

North American porcupines are born with soft quills, but the zoo says that they harden within hours of birth so they can defend themselves. As an adult, the porcupette will have around 30,000 quills that it can use to protect itself.

Utah’s Hogle Zoo says that “40% of first-time porcupine births result in stillbirth.” They stated that the successful natural birth of the porcupette marks a “significant milestone” because of this fact.

Blackberry and her new porcupette can be seen at the Aline W. Skaggs Wild Utah Exhibit. The zoo says that, according to their needs, they may be moved between their indoor and outdoor habitats.

The porcupette and its mother will remain together for eight months before the baby is transferred to another facility to “serve as an ambassador for its species.” Blackberry will remain at the zoo.