Selects: Porcupines: Little Stabby Cutie Pies | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

it was a dark and stormy night just like. this one exactly four years ago today. minus 4 days that we released the. porcupine. [Music]. episode oh sorry um Halloween's almost. upon us and I guess the spirit of the. Season got in me uh at any rate here's. our porcupine episode we're proud of all. of our animal episodes but this one in. particular really takes the cake so.

enjoy it with some. cake welcome to stuff you should know a. production of iHeart. [Music]. Radio hey and welcome to the podcast I'm. Josh Clark and there's Charles W Chuck. briyan over there and this is stuff you. should know about. porcupines which this is a great idea. Chuck good. job you know the pork Pine when you take.

away all those quills is just a cute. little guinea pig basically a giant one. yeah the cute big guinea pig speaking of. cute porcupines dude do you remember. teddy bear the porcupine kind of went a. little viral a few years ago no you have. to watch teddy bear the porcupine. specifically Teddy Teddy Bear the. porcupine doesn't like to share on. YouTube.

and it is this porcupine eating corn on. the cob and making all these sounds like. cousin it and it is one of the cutest. things I've ever seen in my entire. life yeah we want to shout out uh live. science uh. Smithsonian Mental Floss the San Diego. Zoo and a couple of other websites that. I coupled together this wonderful bit on. one of our wonderful animal friends in. the world we'd love to do these. shows uh it just just made me think have.

you seen the octopus documentary thing. yet no I haven't it's been like kind of. popping up in my in my periphery I don't. really know what it is is it just about. octopi well it's it's called My octopus. teacher I haven't seen it yet but I just. know that the deal is is this guy kind. of gets to know one octopus and that's. you know a nice story ensues is all I. know that's neat we'll have to watch. that yeah I can't I can't wait but um. and I mentioned that because you know. we've long said that the octopus is our.

favorite animal but I feel like almost. every time we've done one on an animal. it's on something that we love and boy. do I love the quill pig I do too yeah. apparently that's what the uh their. Latin name means quill pig I love that. that's great that is fantastic um and it. turns out Chuck that there are basically. two groups that porcupines get lumped. into there's a bunch of different Gene. gen yeah that's right and species um but.

they're they basically fall under two. categories it's old world which is. Europe Africa Asia and then New World. which is north south and Central America. um and if you saw a you know a porcupine. in South America and you saw one in you. know the Himalayas you probably would be. like that's porcupine that's porcupine. too they're not radically different like. some old world and New World um um. animals are yeah but uh something I saw.

that was interesting was that they. evolved separately what one of those. what is it called uh co co Evolutions or. whatever no I didn't see that that's. that is crazy I saw that and I only saw. it in one place so um oh I think that. might have been a personal hypothesis of. somebody who got themselves the website. may I saw it somewhere though uh and. then that the two actually um the old. world and the new world have less in. common.

than they do individually with like some. other rodents in their. area yeah so I'm I'm actually not. surprised to hear that but the one thing. that they do have in common across the. board is that they have quills and that. they use their quills defensively now. what their quills look like um how they. use their quills um there's a lot of. other distinctions and differences. between old world and new world but they. all have quilts they're all porcupines. that seems to be the thing that that. bind BS them it's the tie that binds.

that family yeah and it's just it's easy. to take the porcupine for granted I. think and just say yeah the the little. animal with all those quills but when. you take a step back and look at it and. think about the evolution of the. porcupine that uh like I said it sort of. would be a a very large sort of cute. little fluffy guinea pig but it probably. got eaten a lot um and then you know. they said nuts this nature steps in it's.

like all right how about this what if we. were just uh animal pin cushions such. that if you came anywhere near us you. would be stabbed repeatedly if you tried. to eat us like it's one of the most. amazing evolutionary adaptations I've. ever seen yeah and I mean like they can. really use those things too um there's a. long-standing myth that they can shoot. them which is not true but apparently. even Aristotle fell for that one what a. dummy.

but they can use them in some pretty. interesting ways and and you hit the. nail on the head when you said you know. step back if you see a porcupine that is. good advice you should probably step. back because depending on the the. species or whether it's old world or New. World those quills can mess you up. pretty good yeah but also you know get. nearby and take a look like they're not. going to come after you the porcupine is. a very kind-hearted. animal and those are one 100% for.

defense a porcupine is never going to. charge you and you know leap at your. belly to to put quills all in your. stomach um so take a little look admire. it for what it is um I think you know to. talk about porcupines a lot of this is. talking about the old world versus the. the rush version yeah so the the the big. differences that I saw um and there's. lots of differences between different. species within each of these groups but.

the old world versus new world have some. big differences between them um and one. of them is that old world are typically. terrestrial porcupines they spend most. of their lives on the ground um they. live in Burrows or caves or Rock dens. and New World porcupines they live on. the ground too they live in Burrows but. they're also very um capable of climbing. trees um and they'll they'll spend a. significant amount of time and sometimes. nest in trees and there are some species. that spend virtually their whole lives.

in trees almost like sloths yeah um. quill wise uh the new world porcupines. quills are going to be shorter and. smaller in general I think they're about. four to 10 uh 4 in 10 cm um the old. world dudes and ladies they can get uh. very long they can have quills up to 20. in long um they can be marked with um. black and white bands and what they can. do is these oldw World guys can puff. them up.

um so they stand up and are more. intimidating and look also I mean it's. weird cuz it's it's like multifold like. four or five different things they do by. doing this they look larger right so. that's always something that um. vulnerable animals try to do in the wild. they look like a skunk a little bit. because of the black and white marking. down their back they actually have a a. defensive musk kind of like a a skunk. but just not nearly as bad yeah so they. try to imitate a skunk a little bit.

um they look bigger they uh they rattle. they can shake those things and rattle. them which is another great adaptation. to say like get away from me don't try. and eat me and supposedly that works. pretty well too yeah totally and then if. all else fails they're. stabby they are stabby so um sometimes. the the oldw world ones will actually. charge backwards toward a predator if. they're feeling like they want to stand. their ground um and that's usually when. they're caught out in the open if they. have a place to hide they'll stick their.

head in that place to hide and then puff. out their quills and make themselves. hard to get at um but if they're out in. the open they may decide that they're. going to fight off this predator and. they'll charge backward and one other. adaptation I saw which I thought was was. awesome they'll have the Predator Chase. it and then they'll stop all of a sudden. and the Predator will run into them and. their quilts for real and then you hear. the sound. effect yeah exactly and then it's too. like yeah I mean it's interesting CU.

those quills even though they puff them. out they are pointy generally in the. reverse direction right which you know. which is why they have to back up into. something to to quill them uh or like. you said bury them just throw on that. that uh parking brake real quick and all. of a sudden that fox has got a face full. of quill right so that Old World um. contains a couple of species that are. called crested porcupines and they. basically look like like if the quills.

were like an umbrella it opens at the. back of their head yeah and just kind of. sticks out like that and like you said. it makes them look a lot bigger they're. a lot more dangerous um the the big. difference with quills between the old. world and the new world in addition to. being shorter is um old world porcupines. are covered in quilts that's all they. have like they have like I don't know if. we said it or not but quills are just. modified hair um they're made of keratin. just like hair they're just way staber.

than hair that you and I have well it's. like hair meets fingernails basically. yeah that's a great way to put it and. Old World porcupines that's all they. have are quills um New World porcupines. have quills that are also mixed in with. um fur like an undercoat longer hairs um. and their quills kind of stand up and. are used for defense that's not just. it's not all that they have um and the. other thing about their quills is that. they have little barbs and and New World.

um porcupines barbs make their new world. quills way more dangerous than old world. quills yeah it's like Little Fish Hook. basically and it'll instead of just. poking right into you it'll actually. snag in your flesh mhm and makes it like. you said way way tougher to get out um a. much harder time removing a new world. quill than an old world quill right but. those new world guys. are uh because their quills start. further back you get the feeling if you.

just and I wouldn't recommend this but. if you just go very gently and just say. hey little guy don't do that I just I. just want to give you a scritch under. the under the chin and I think you might. enjoy it and I'm going to move very. slowly just don't turn around and you'll. you'll have a really good time I'd like. to uh include a disclaimer here that you. guys should not listen to Chuck right. now he's doing out some really terrible. advice yeah it's just because those.

quills start farther back they got that. cute little head and face and it just. makes you want to give them a. scritch yeah no totally like if you. watch Teddy Teddy bear videos um Teddy. Bear the porcupine you will want to go. get one as a pet there's another one I. saw called Diva she was a baby porcupine. she's adorable um yeah you totally want. to do that and I'm sure there are ways. to handle them but I also saw you know. one of those Zoo guys on a late night. talk show and he had I think an African. en crusted porcupine on his lap and that.

thing was not at all worried or scared. or um in any sort of defense mode and. that dude was in pain just letting this. thing sit on his lap because I don't. know we you said you know they look like. guinea pigs and I said overgrown guinea. pigs some of these things can get really. big there's a cape porcupine I think. it's the biggest one they get up to like. 65 pounds 65 lbs it's like a large dog. yeah with quills though oh with the. quills puffed up no like they're 65 lbs.

year round and then but imagine a 65 lb. dog with those quilts that's that's. dangerous yeah what I meant I know they. don't actually weigh more when they puff. up but um they can when they puff those. quills out they can look two to three. times their size so right yeah I imagine. that thing looks enormous and actually I. don't do this much but I'm watching that. that thing eat that corn on the cob. right now isn't that adorable yeah I. have to have the sound down so I'm going. to go back and watch it you have to hear. the sound like the sound does it but.

even without the sound he's just awfully. cute huh yeah it kind of they kind of. look like beavers a little bit too and. they are related as fellow rodents um. here I think we should take a break I'm. I'm getting kind of worked up here and. we'll come back and talk more about. these cute little stabby suckers right. after this. [Music].

okay Charles we're back and um we've. been talking mostly about quills yeah so. one more thing about quills and there's. going to be more than one more thing. about quills let's be honest but uh we. said they couldn't shoot them what they. can do these things do fall out just. like hair and they grow just like. fingernails and and will eventually fall. so when they shake they if they have.

loose quills they can fly off but. they're still not like uh shooting like. Aristotle said like deadly needle darts. no but they can be problematic like. these things can puncture the sidewalls. of tires I was reading um the blog of. some Tire Company Kal Tires I think up. in the Yukon and they said that it's. actually it can be a problem if you run. over one like on some roads yeah that. like if you're out in the middle of. nowhere and you run over a porcupine. quill you you're you're probably going.

to get a flat that's how how tough those. things are well that's. sad what for your tire no for the for. your afternoon well no you're not. running over are you still watching. teddy bear videos no I thought you said. if you run over a porcupine it can. porcupine quill oh well mean what is it. just a loose quill on the road yeah. exactly that's what I'm saying like just. a loose quill laying on the road if you. run over it goes into your sidewall. you're probably going to get a flat tire. that's how tough those things are okay I. thought you meant if you actually run.

over a porcupine and you have like a. bunch of quills I I that would probably. do it too especially if the porcupine. was in a defensive procedure but the. porcupine doesn't have to die in this. case for you to give a flat tire so. regardless of that sadness they there is. sadness in that despite this great. adaptation and this great defense. mechanism uh they still can be hunted um. Lions can still hunt them uh human. people there's the bush meat trade uh. for the old world porcupines that is you.

know just you know what that means uh. and there you know there are owls. Wolverines uh pythons uh there's. something called a Fisher that looks. sort of like a a weasel bear fox or. something did you look that thing up. yeah I think it's related to Otter and. and weasels okay but it had a little. sort of a bare face it was interesting. but apparently stink too well they stink. in more ways than one because they. learned to flip these porcupines over. where they have that soft belly meat and.

no quills as a way to attack them which. really makes me. mad yeah I don't I don't like Fishers. for that reason either I'd never heard. of them until recently until we started. researching this I had either they're on. myit L I don't like them nope I just. don't like them eat something else yeah. leave the porcupines alone because. they're actually pretty. nice yeah and they don't eat what do. they eat they eat vegetables and fruits. and berries and nuts and tubers and. Roots yeah so um they they they eat all.

those things they'll also eat crops. which is um porcupines are considered a. nuisance especially if you're a farmer. or even a gardener in the suburbs. because they will eat your root. vegetables they will eat corn um love. corn apparently um but they'll also they. have another thing too where they need. sodium in their diet they actually need. they need a pretty um even ratio of one. to one of potass ium to sodium for their.

electrical conductivity in their body to. work but they don't get much sodium in. their diet um plants have lots of. potassium not much sodium so they have. to go find it elsewhere and it turns out. we humans have a lot of stuff that has. sodium in it apparently plywood glue. contains a lot of sodium so they love. eating wood structures we build out of. plywood um the salt that we put on the. roads gets kicked up on the underside of. our car so you might find a uh a.

porcupine chewing on the tires or the. hoses or belts or wires under your car. yeah I saw that they would even uh. because the humans sweat so much salt. when they're working MH that they'll go. like if you have some uh some wooden. pruners in your shed they'll go in there. and they'll start eating the handle of. your pruners cuz it just has a residual. human salt left over on it right you. just walk in you're like are you nuts. what is wrong with you do you porcupine.

just set up a salt lck for those fellas. yeah well they'll find anywhere they can. find a natural saltlick they'll. definitely eat that too but yes anything. that has human sweat on even Trace. Amounts of human sweat they'll go. Bonkers for like they eat ores um. paddles that kind of stuff so but yes. typically they they eat um leaves stems. they eat shots and leaves um they also. though and this is another reason why. they're considered a nuisance they eat. bark off of the tree so they're.

considered generalists they'll eat just. about any kind of vegetation um which is. actually and they're also super. adaptable which is why you'll find. porcupines almost anywhere there's. vegetation um but they they'll that's. what they eat you know in spring summer. fall and then in Winter they don't. hibernate which actually makes them kind. of um unusual as well but they be they. go from being um generalists to what's. known as um faculative specialists. meaning their diet becomes very limited.

to just one or two types of trees and. not just one or two types of trees. during the winter they may just feed on. the inner bark of One Tree and that can. be problematic because the inner bark is. where nutrients and water moves from the. roots to the rest of the tree and if. that porcupine eats all the way around. it what's called girdling a tree it can. kill or seriously damage that tree yeah. so if I mean if you have a problem if. you live in the woods and stuff and you.

see a tree it could be a beaver but. either way you kind of handle it the. same you can wrap like chicken wire. around it uh around the bottom or some. sort of um aluminum or something. sheeting to keep the the beaver and or. porcupine from G on that thing yeah and. I would guess you'd want to wear work. gloves because the salt from the sweat. in your hands is just going to attract. them to that chicken. wire uh yeah they eat uh they're. nocturnal so they're mainly doing this. stuff at night they're patrolling around.

uh they're defending their areas that. they feed I saw both I saw that they're. territorial I saw that they're also not. territorial yeah it probably depends. with you know so many different species. MH uh cuz they will travel outside their. home range uh if they want to get a mate. um or if they need that salt they're. usually uh they're fairly solo Flyers. although um sometimes you'll see a. couple of them uh they may be mated they. may be siblings um I don't think we. mentioned that the old world uh.

porcupines are actually really good. swimmers both of them are from what I. understand oh really MH okay yeah and. new world will actually go swim out to. gather aquatic plants they swim more. than the old world does but they just. swim to collect plants and then they. bring it back to the shore to eat yeah. and they're they're living in uh they. don't they'll like sleep in trees. sometimes the climbers will but uh it. seems like they make use of other. animals dens when they're not around and.

they have left like they'll go to an. arvar Den that has been abandoned uh or. a hole and they will change it around. maybe knock down some walls open up that. floor plan put a island in the kitchen. yeah of course you got to have the big. island sure H and then you know they. they'll just adapt it to their needs uh. because obviously they're a little. puffier than the arvar yeah and in doing. so Chuck a question that kept running up. against was what role do porcupines play.

in the ecosystem and they think that one. of the big roles they play is by. basically disturbing stuff they disturb. the soil when they're D when they're. digging and burrowing and everything and. they they found that they the um through. that they propagate way more seeds than. than would otherwise be propagated if. they weren't around so forests are much. more diverse with them in it than. without them because of all of their. scratching and moving and all that stuff. yeah and it seems like for rodents they.

live uh a long time they can live in the. W I mean I sort of saw a wild range. anywhere from I did too three to five. years in the wild to like 10 years in. the wild I saw one that lived to be 18 I. saw the record was. 25 which I think was second only to a. beaver As far as the the rodent record I. think there was a 28-year old Beaver. once I saw one in Brazil was. um can live up to 27 years in captivity.

oh wow yeah so that's I mean that's long. live but yeah I saw three to five years. too and I guess it just depends on the. species you know yeah and the other. thing about their uh feeding habits is. they eat. seasonally uh they're little hipsters. they eat seasonally and. locally so the depending on what's there. they will I think in the winter they'll. eat more Evergreen needles and the like. sort of the inner bark of the tree and. stuff like that right uh and then you.

know when those sweet berries come. around or when that corn crop is coming. in just look out then they turn back. into generalists that's right so um I. feel like we cannot go any further can't. dance around the. fact that porcupines. copulate um and when they do copulate. they produce Offspring and we should. talk about that yeah should we break or. should we do this and then. break I feel like we're going to need to.

take a break after this okay so. porcupines have stabby quills that's. that point backwards that's right and if. you know how a rodent and a mammal like. this would have sex it is uh from. something a male approaching the female. from the rear yeah right where those. things are pointing and so you think how. do they do this uh what happens is the. males are going to um they're going to V.

for the female like so many animals they. have these sort of noisy battles and. they they whine and they stomp when they. win and stomp their tail and try to. impress the lady puff their quills out. and if the lady says all right I think. you might be a good match for me what. does he. do he sprays urine all over her that's. right and she goes she goes that was. wonderful uhuh um let's go big boy yeah.

I'm going to put down I'm going to lay. down my quills yeah and move the tail to. the side it's business time right yeah. because the tail is barbed I don't think. we said that. either no but like all the quills are. Barbed right well no I think the actual. tail is barbed oh good lord as well. which can help with the the climbing and. stuff right so I think it would take. being sprayed with urine to to you would. want to reach that level of commitment. to make sure that you could trust that. that barb tail is going to be kept to.

the side are we really in are we in. right and then yes that that definitely. says yes you're in um you're in get it y. I told you we would need a break let's. take one shall we all right we'll talk. about uh we'll talk about Porky pets. right after this. [Music].

so Chuck the porcupines have copulated. they were successful um and the uh. female has now uh gated for 205 to 217. days and what did you say we're just. born pcup. pets like e tte s yeah not pets is in. something you keep but yeah Little Porky. pets like a like the the 50s singing. group girl version of the.

porcupines Randy porcupine and the porcy. pets right. exactly yeah and here's where it got a. little confusing because I saw different. stuff depending on where I looked and. again it may be according to species um. I saw that they rarely have more than. one at a time I also saw that sometimes. they have up to. four but let's just say between one and. four per liter uh and stay with their. their mommies for a little longer than.

uh than what I found it says in I think. from the San Diego Zoo just a few months. but I also saw anywhere from 12 to 24. months and they at least um need that. mother's milk for like six months and I. think it really depends on the species. like I saw um those the the largest ones. the cape porcupine they actually stay in. family units of a mom and a dad and one. to two kids oh interesting the dad's. usually out of there with the porcupines.

right so yeah especially with North. American porcupines I feel like a lot. because we're in America a lot of the. info we got was for North American. porcupines and people just called it. porcupines which required a lot more. digging but I I feel like um with North. American porcupines it's like hey good. luck with the kids and then the mom has. the kid and it's like hey I I'm weaning. you good luck with the rest of your life. and then they live this kind of solitary. happy existence digging around and. eating tree bark yeah and uh if you.

think the porcupette is as soft and cute. as you would imagine you were correct uh. those needle like quills start to um. stiffen up very quickly but it takes. that it kind of starts three or four. days later and then I imagine takes a. little while to reach full you know kind. of hard quill version yeah and I saw it. conflicting information too um I saw. that they were born precocious where. they had a full set of teeth their eyes. were open and then it just took a few. hours for their quills to harden into.

like adult. um quill that was even take too. Chuck uh yes adult quill thank you for. that I also saw their eyes were closed. for a long time yeah yeah so don't know. it's possible it's different species. it's also possible that San Diego Zoo. just got a bunch of stuff. wrong well that's always possible great. Zoo I've been there uh I know we did an. episode on zoos and whether or not they. were ethical so you can go make up your.

own mind about that but isn't that where. Jack Hannah hailed from wasn't he a San. Diego Zoo guy I feel like that's. probably true let's just say it is uh I. got something else on these quills uh. they have an anti wait a minute I. thought we I thought we were done with. quills you said no no no never done with. quills okay uh they have an antiseptic. quality. apparently wow in case of self stabb. that's awesome I I hadn't seen that. actually and I think we should say too. um just one more thing about coil I'm. breaking my own rules here M because.

they're like modified hair they um grow. back when they're shed they're like. constantly shedding and growing quills. yeah and like I said you should not. approach one in the wild but um they. make Airy rabies but other than that. they don't really carry any other. diseases we need to worry about come on. yeah like if you wanted to love. porcupines anymore there you go like you. could snuggle one and you don't have to. worry about any diseases. yes but don't eat them like they do in.

some parts of the world um they are in. pretty good shape but uh they have been. exterminated in certain parts of Africa. um because they do eat root crops so. they're a nuisance pest so they get rid. of them uh people can qu uh collect you. like that they can collect the quills. for. ornamentation um and I think there's a. couple of them that are listed as. vulnerable uh and very sadly of course. because their habitat is is being lost. yes but globally porcupines are under um.

they're considered of least concern yeah. um which itself is concerning because. they're considered pests in a lot of. places so they're eradicated um the I. think it was the Maryland DNR the do not. resuscitate agency um said that on their. site that. porcupines um used to be in the. southeastern United States but they were. eradicated I didn't know that and I've. never heard that and I couldn't find it.

anywhere else but I don't know why the. DNR would make that up I'm trying to. think if I've ever seen one in the wild. wild they they do not live in the. Southeast but the the Maryland DNR is. saying like I've I've traveled all over. the world I'm not saying in my backyard. oh I gotta well we were talking about. the southeast you can imagine why I fell. for that one no I'm just trying to think. of I've if I've seen one like camping. out west or anything I don't I don't. know if I've ever seen one I never have. I would think you would definitely. remember seeing a porcupine in real life.

probably armadillos everywhere yeah. everywhere and you know they carry. Hansen's Disease so don't get close to. them porcupines don't carry any. communicable diseases that humans are. concerned about except rabies yeah they. can be rabid but all mammals can be. rabid you know so should we talk about. what happens you know if you just Google. porcupine and dog you're going to get a. lot of very sad pictures yeah of curious.

dogs who stuck their snout where they. shouldn't and are Barbed all over the. nose and. snout not good no um and there's a lot. of things that you want to do and don't. want to do if that happens to your dog. because it's actually really bad if that. happens so if your dog is if you ever. see a porcupine on a hike with your dog. get your dog away from that porcupine. not just for the porcupine sake like if. a porcupine goes into a defensive. posture it's scared to death yeah it's.

not it might seem all tough and angry. it's scared that's why it's doing that. but also it could really mess your dog. up so for at least your dog's sake get. your dog away from the porcupine and if. if you fail to do that quickly enough. and your dog does take some quills in. its face in its neck wherever um those. things can because especially on in the. new world porcupine uh that their quills. have um barbs they can migrate further.

and further inward um they're not going. to work themselves out they're gonna. actually work themselves in so you want. to take your dog to a vet like you your. dog gets quilled you get in the car you. go to the vet that's the order of how. everything happens you don't stop and. get a double cheeseburger you don't like. go home and like read the paper first. like you go straight to the vet because. your dog's going to need to go under. general anesthesia um to to have those. things removed that's how bad of a jam. it is yeah I'm actually going to amend. that with your your permission um.

because what the first thing you should. do and hopefully you're with someone. else if you've got it really it would be. great if you have two people in on this. one one to drive and one to keep your. dog from messing with their face yeah. that's a big one because they're G to if. there's quills poking in a do dog's face. they're going to paw at it they're going. to try and rub their nose on the ground. and that is bad bad bad bad bad because. those quills are just going to go. further and further in so you really. really need to do your best to hold on.

to your dog hold their head up and keep. their paws away from their face uh and. like you said go straight to that vet. because you don't try and remove them. yourself you're you're only going to. make it worse and that's like. guaranteed there's also supposedly a a a. myth that if you clip the porcupine. quill it deflates it and makes it easier. to to to to come out they don't they're. not inflated with air so clipping it's. not going to deflate anything is that.

Aristotle yeah and it actually can make. the quill shatter CU imagine like um. like a really hard claw or something. like that being clipped with some. scissors it's going to shatter some um. and if if enough of a piece shatters far. enough down um it can reach the skin. level and then if it works its way in. all of a sudden you just made it that. much harder to get out because you just. added a new Barb which is that shattered. Jagged Edge that used to be intact. before before you cut it like a. knucklehead yeah I mean I could see the.

Instinct if you don't know what's going. on to be to clip them cuz if they're. really long and sticking out of their. face it looks terrible or to try and. just yank them out but not do yeah don't. do either one of those things um another. big reason why is the risk of infection. is really really big um I mean they have. multiple multiple stab wounds. essentially and they like you said the. only solution is general anesthesia I. mean it's it's not surgery but it's not.

not surgery no and they they you know. some of these may not ever be able to. come out and your pets is going to have. a lifetime of being monitored to make. sure they don't migrate toward a a joint. or an organ or their the back of their. eye who knows depending on where they. got stabbed with the quill so um I think. it was the the ASPCA that said the best. way to to um to deal with this is to. prevent it from ever happening just. don't let your dog anywhere near a. porcupine it's just a not worth the risk.

and don't you're you're going to scare. the porcupine too yeah and if you live. in porcupine country don't ever let your. dog out of the house no as a matter of. fact just keep it wrapped in bubble wrap. at all times toilet train. them yeah or just change the bubble wrap. let them pee in the bubble wrap yeah. just have get tons and tons of bubble. wrap and then and don't throw it away. don't recycle it uhhuh put it in a huge. pile at the end of each season and your. front yard and melt it with a blowtorch.

yeah that's great maybe mix it with. acetone first yes um I've got two more. porcupine facts if you will indulge me. let's hear it you got anything else I. got nothing else in the 7s the 70s in. the UK was a swinging time for. porcupines apparently because there was. a population of Himalayan porcupines. crested I believe in South Devon in the. wild because they'd escaped from the zoo.

uh sometime in the 70s and lived on the. lamb for a decade and the same thing. happened in Staffordshire with a kind of. crusted porcupine where they had a wild. population because they escaped from the. zoo too is that near Stoke on. Trent I don't know we'll have to ask Tom. all right if that's near Stoke on Trent. all right you got anything else again I. got nothing else okay well that's it for. porcupines everybody go watch teddy bear. videos you're going to love them uh and. since I said teddy bear it's time for a.

listener. mail man I can't wait to turn up the. volume on this you're good it's going to. knock your socks right off I do this. teddy bear is probably on Instagram I. would imagine but I do follow that uh. groundhog on. Instagram oh I chunk I think I know I. think I know who you're talking about. yeah chunk the groundhog it's good stuff. yeah all right so uh here we we go this. is from oh this is from Don the black.

cowboy did you see this one oh yeah this. is great it's fantastic uh we did a. short stuff on uh black cowboys in. history and how they've long been. overlooked so if for some weird reason. you don't listen to short stuffs you. should yeah we never kind of promote. that but it's just like stuff you should. know but it's shorter yeah what's your. problem listen uh Hey guys my name is. Don and I'm a 25-year-old black cowboy. from Texas uh I along with my brother am. also a second generation amateur uh faer.

as well my father taught us after. learning the trade growing up on our. family farm then later going into. horseshoeing as a side career when I saw. your episode about blacksmithing I was. eager to hear if you mentioned faers in. it and thought I might finally write in. uh then when you came out with a black. cowboy episode all of my friends shared. the episode with me so I knew I had to. write uh as a kid our family did trail. rides rodeos and horse races nearly. every week. uh since leaving my hometown for college. and Beyond I've often been uh the first.

introduction to black cowboys SL Farmers. for most people there's a large. community of black cowboys and Farmers. still surviving regardless of the. systemic issues we Face uh whenever it's. safe again I'd like to invite anyone. hearing this out to our annual trail. ride Easter weekend to get a chance to. experience the lifestyle Isn't that cool. dude I so want to do this so he sent a. flyer too and and it looks super. interesting so it does it looks awesome.

yeah and so they hold it over Easter. weekend and you just basically go live. the cowboy life for a weekend I love it. and it's like 10 bucks or something like. that too yeah it's not like some City. Slicker scam no Don doesn't Stick it to. you Don will give it to you straight. that's right 10 bucks straight shooter. he says love the podcast really helped. keep me company these last few years in. the peace core so don is my new most. interesting man in the world I think he. he is one of the more well-rounded stuff. you should know listeners we've heard. from in a while yeah and he says PS yes.

I did ride my horse to school that's. amazing yeah well thanks a lot Don hats. off to you 10 gon hat even literally um. thank you for the invite we may see you. one of these Easter weekends on your. trail ride um and if you want to get in. touch with us you can send us an email. too to stuff podcast at iheartradio.com. stuff you should know is a production of. iHeart radio for more podcasts iHeart. Radio visit the iHeart Radio app Apple.

podcasts or wherever you listen to your. favorite shows. [Music].