Massachusetts zoo welcomes "fuzzy" baby porcupine weighing less than a pound
STONEHAM - There's an adorable and fuzzy (for now) addition to the Stone Zoo. The zoo in Stoneham welcomed a baby prehensile-tailed porcupine on Feb. 22.
The porcupette weighed less than a pound at birth. It was "bright, healthy and alert" for its first medical exam a day later.
"We've observed the porcupette grip branches with its prehensile tail, which is an excellent sign of a strong, healthy baby," the zoo's assistant curator Pete Costello said in a statement.
The porcupette is the fourth baby for mom Prickles, 10, and the 11-year-old dad named Shadow.
"Prickles is an experienced mother, and we are pleased with the baby's progress so far," Costello said.
Zoo visitors can see the new baby in the "Windows to the Wild" exhibit. Its soft quills will harden soon, the zoo says. Their tails are like a "fifth limb" that help them hold on to branches.
"They are fairly independent after birth and don't nurse often, so guests may see the baby on a branch by itself," the zoo said.