Baby Porcupine a "Natural" ... And, Needs a Name!

Well, it turns out that our new baby porcupine is a "natural" when it comes to meeting visitors close up. Just like people and other animals, each porcupine has its own personality, and we didn't know how this one would react to guests.

We let the baby (we don't know the gender yet) decide whether it wanted to come out in front of an audience. And this little guy (or gal) walked out in front of dozens of people last Saturday without hesitation. Since that stellar debut, the baby continues charming visitors.

Behind the scenes, the baby (called a porcupette) is just as happy, and likes sweet potatoes and carrots (broccoli and green beans are rejected as being yucky).

Now it’s up to you to vote on its name: Q’will, Juniper, or Nettles. The name with the most donations by July 4 wins! (By then we also will be able to tell whether it’s male or female.) Come and cast your vote for a name by making a donation of any amount in our ballot boxes. Proceeds support the porcupine family and the Museum’s wildlife programs.

You can meet the porcupette weekends through June at 1:30 p.m., following the Desert Dwellers show featuring live animals such as Bonnie and Clyde, badgers that demonstrate their amazing digging abilities; Pinecone the porcupine, hawks, barn owls, snakes, and more reptiles. Starting in July, the porcupette will be among those animals who may stop by at the daily shows at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.