Binghamton Zoo Welcomes Baby Prehensile-Tailed Porcupine

It's Good News Monday, and the Binghamton Zoo has some really good news to pass along!

They're proud to announce the arrival of a prehensile-tailed porcupine, born on June 21. Aww, isn't he/she so cute?

Zoo officials have been monitoring the progress of the baby and parents, Zoey and Mattie. It weighed in at 430 grams, it has progressively gained weight since birth.

The sex of the baby cannot yet be determined and the name will be announced soon. The birth of this porcupine is a major success for the prehensile-tailed porcupine’s Species Survival Plan (SSP).

Mattie came to the Binghamton Zoo in November 2014 under recommendations from the SSP as a breeding candidate for Zoey.

Baby porcupines (also known as porcupettes) are not born with sharp or barbed quills. Instead, the porcupette’s quills are soft and bendable, gradually hardening in the first few days after birth.

These porcupines have a prehensile tail that allows them to grasp branches for balance. They also have long, curved claws that are excellent for climbing.

They spend most of their time in trees and will den in tree nests, rock crevices, brush, logs, and tangled tree roots. Prehensile-tailed porcupines are found in South America.

They feed on the bark of trees, buds, fruits, roots, stems, leaves, blossoms, seeds, and crops like corn and bananas. At the zoo, the porcupines diet consists of yams, carrots, greens, and leaf eater biscuits.

The porcupette is currently on exhibit with its parents Zoey and Mattie in the New World Tropics building. The Binghamton Zoo is located at 60 Morgan Road in Binghamton.