The prickly little one is absolutely adorable!
The Smithsonian's National Zoo has a new family member! Prehensile-tailed porcupines Quillbur and Beatrix welcomed their second baby on January 4 (aka the day of the big snowstorm).
"Our team is looking forward to learning if the newborn will take after Beatrix, who is relaxed and easy-going, or be more active and curious like Quillbur," the zoo said in a social post last week.
Officials at the zoo have yet to announce if the new 2-week-old baby porcupine is a boy or girl, as newborn porcupettes appear anatomically similar until about 6 months of age. Quill samples were sent to the Zoo's Center for Conservation Genomics for DNA analysis, and so we should know in a few weeks!
❤️🦔 Prehensile-tailed porcupines, like our 2-week-old porcupette, are born with the ability to climb! At birth, their quills are soft, but they harden within minutes. The underside of its tail lacks quills, allowing the porcupine to grip branches with this appendage. pic.twitter.com/7moBzTn1fZ
— National Zoo (@NationalZoo) January 22, 2022
In 2019, Quillbur and Beatrix gave birth to their first offspring, soon after Quillbur came to the National Zoo. And after a naming contest that year, the son was named Quilliam. Quilliam and his sibling mark as the fourth generation to live in the small animal house at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
What do you think of the new addition? Share your thoughts in the comments below.