Porcupines can be found within a wide range of habitats in tropical and temperate parts of the following continents:  Asia, Africa, North and South America, and also in the country Italy.  The parts of all these places that the porcupine occupies are in the forests, deserts, rocky outcrops, hillsides and grasslands.

The most popular characteristic of the porcupine is its coat of sharp spines, or quills.  These quills are a useful defense mechanism for any predators that may come in contact with the porcupine.

The order of the porcupine is classified as "Rodentia" which is the Latin word for "Rodent".  They are the third largest of the order Rodentia.  The first two largest rodents are the capybara, and the beaver.  The porcupine used to hold the record for being the world's longest living rodent, until the record was recently broken by the Naked Mole Rat.

Fun Fact:  Did you know that a group of porcupines is called a "prickle"?

Here are some YouTube videos about porcupines that I enjoyed watching: