Ms. Serena J. photo by Marilyn Freeman

     On this first day of the year it’s nice to report that we have a newcomer in town.  Her name is Serena J. Porcupine – or so says our across-the-street neighbor, Bradley.  Serena J. was first sighted across from the Jerry Andrews’ house on Oysterville Road, but has relocated to the east side of Territory Road and seems to be working her way south.  Although she sleeps away most of the daylight hours under a big fern, she is usually up by late afternoon grazing on the moss in her host families’ lawns.  We all hope she will spend some time on our lawns, as well.
     Porcupines appear to be very mellow animals (hence the name ‘Serena’; the ‘J.’ is for Jean – no reason), and why wouldn’t they be?  Interspersed among their dark underhair, they can have up to 30,000 quills, a formidable defense mechanism, indeed.  These stiff spines, about three inches long, are released upon contact or may drop out when the porcupine shakes its body.  (Contrary to old wives’ tales, porcupines cannot ‘shoot’ their quills.)  New quills grow to replace lost ones.
     Not only are the quills as sharp as needles, they have backward facing barbs which catch on the skin making them difficult to extract.  When threatened, porcupines raise their spines in a menacing gesture, and swing their tails back and forth. Woe unto any curious animal that gets too close!
     (Years ago, when I first met Nyel, he was taking a course on Native American Art at the University of Washington.  It was a project-oriented course and he happened to luck out by finding a porcupine road kill here on the peninsula.  He ‘harvested’ a number of the quills which, as I remember, he did very carefully, even though the critter was dead.)
     Bradley is making an assumption, of course, in the naming of this new Oysterville resident.  But, as he told me when I questioned him, “I’m not going to attempt to sex a porcupine!”  We can only hope that a potential mate shows up and maybe Serena will present the village an offspring.
     Mating usually takes place in late summer or early fall and a single baby makes its appearance seven months later.  Serena is small and may have been a spring 2010 birthling. While I’m on the subject – porcupines are said to have an elaborate courtship ritual that involves the male showering the female with urine.  I guess being on the lookout for that ceremony would be one way to sort out Serena J.’s gender, but do we really need all that information?
     I am content just knowing that porcupines are the world’s third largest rodents (after capybara and beaver), usually weigh between 15 and 20 pounds (the American variety), are nocturnal (mostly), and are strict herbivores.  They are nearsighted but have keen hearing and a good sense of smell.  They are excellent climbers and are good swimmers, their hollow quills helping to make them buoyant.
     So, welcome to Oysterville Serena J.!  And beware to all those visitng dogs whose owners don’t obey the leash laws!