I think people’s movements can reflect their personality. For example, have you ever seen high-strung people just saunter around? This got me wondering if my theory holds true in the wild?
Last week I was driving aimlessly hoping to cross paths with a beautiful buck. I secretly wonder sometimes if I miss wildlife because I’m lost in thot. Suddenly I spy a dark object in a snowy stubble field. This porcupine was hard to miss!
The camouflage might work in the trees but porky was a little obvious parked out in the snow.
The first thing I noticed was the porcupine’s style of movement which was well … methodical is a polite term. Those stubby legs are definitely not built for speed. In a little bit of snow, the legs disappeared completely and the porcupine looked like a tug boat churning away on the soft surface.
I was a bit surprised to see the size of those front claws.
For reasons that didn’t appear obvious, the porcupine crossed the road. An obstructed view of the porcupine’s undercarriage confirmed this clunky creature was not going to outrun many predators.
King of the road – at least in the prairie back country with no one in sight for miles around. When a porcupine senses danger, it curls into a ball and extends its quills – a strategy that is more successful with natural predators than vehicles.
And wandering around a white field in a dark suit surely pointed to a little attitude. I’m guessing it might be relying on other means to protect itself.
I’d say the porcupine’s walk reflects a confident, methodical personality – it might not engender a lot of love but at least some grudging respect. I’m guessing there are a few dogs with sore noses that might agree.
That leads to the obvious question – what does your style of walking say about you?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I understand that all that armour doesn’t score many points in the cute and cuddly department. However, I can still find some beauty here but its entirely possible I am in the small minority again.
It was nice of the porcupine to pose for me.
Krahnpix 
My goodness. I never knew porcupines were so cute. I love the shot of him crossing the road. What a face!
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It surprised me too when I got this shot. In the past I just focused on the quills.
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LOVE picture 3! Up here in the north country our porcupines spend a lot of time high in the trees, so we don’t get to seem them down close like this very often. We do see evidence of them, though, when they snack on our wooden door frames. LOL Fantastic pictures! 🙂
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Thanks. I have come to like porcupines a lot more this year after a couple of neat encounters.
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very nice close shots there…couldn’t agree more that beauty is in the eyes of beholder
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Thanks. Yes we all look through own life lens defined by our many experiences.
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Funny little guy!
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It is really is a an unusual creature with a lot of ammunition!
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They are amazing creatures – quite unlike our (Australian) Echidna or Spiny Anteater – they have definite quills but don’t shhot them. I’ll try to find a photo. You’ve captured this little one beautifully.
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It was a fun adventure when I found this guy.
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Last year a porcupine was crawling down a tree as I was walking past. He stopped and stared me down, as if I were intruding on his territory. He was very confident and he scared the hell out of me. I retreated to a safe distance and he continued to go about his business.
What does my walk say about me? Great question. I walk fast and with purpose, but I like to think I am laid back and mellow. I will have to ponder that.
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Yes those porcupines have a lot of reasons to feel secure. Many years ago I was thankful to discover that at least they couldn’t shoot their quills. I’m glad the porcupine and I raised a question that made you ponder. Just don’t think too hard!
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Our dogs regularly find these critters and ‘tree’ them for us. My husband usually catches them in an old garbage can and takes them for a ride down to the creek, where he lets them go to eat someone else’s bark… Once he brought a big one into the house so we could observe it for a bit before its big transportation debut – what amazing creatures they are up close! These are such beautiful shots of an intriguing animal!
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That’s a great story. You casually mention catching them and bringing them into the house as if there was no potential danger! Me – I’m hiding behind a long lens and happy not to get closer!
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‘Know thy enemy’ – stay away from that tail, and all is well! 🙂
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I reckon he’s pretty cute too – although definitely not cuddly! I am hoping to run into an Echidna on my travels – that is the Australian version of the Porcupine. They are not all that common here so who knows – I might get lucky.
Great shots by the way.
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Thanks. I hope you find an Echidna. I had never heard of it so I googled it and found it quite interesting with that long nose.
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I’ve never seen one. How cute! I bump into a lot of things, so it might say I’m scattered.
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It’s probably best not to bump into one of these creatures! I have rarely seen them so it’s always special. Thanks for the comments.
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Definitely on the cute side! My walk says I’m more confident than I actually am.
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That’s probably a good way to go. I’m a bit surprised that the cute side has so many votes! Thanks for commenting.
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I just called my little boy to see this, I don’t know which of us was more impressed! Thank you so much for these picture and your description of the little critter. We both think he scores top points in the cute department, even if he’s not all that cuddly!
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It’s impressive to get intergenerational compliments! Given all those quills, I was surprised how many people seemed to think he was cute but maybe you put it into perspective with by describing it as cute but not cuddly. I wish I would have thot of that line before posting!
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I’m with you about the beauty of these guys – and it seems the minority isn’t so small, based on the comments I see.
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I was quite surprised that quite a few people agreed that the porcupine was beautiful. It turns out I may not be in the minority after all – that would be an unusual spot.
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It would seem that the porcupine has a stride all its own! I love the King of the Road shot. There is a certain cuteness that I have never really noticed before.
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Thanks for those good comments. I knew it was a unique animal but came away with a different perspective after this fun encounter.
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Stunning photos and yes cute too! We have hedgehogs that run a lot faster… I was going to say because of the cold but then remembered your photos are in snow! They also are silly when faced with cars. They need to develop more resilient spines! I really hope when my ship comes in & i get a dSLR camera I will be able to take photos like this!
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Glad you liked them. Those hedgehogs sounds like interesting creatures too – don’t think I’ve seen one of them. Hope you get your DSLR soon!
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Me too! I have some photos from a few years ago…. Will try & work out how to upload them to a comment in the next few days! Bed time!!
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I walk fast, they say, like I’m always in a hurry.
Cheers !
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I generally do too – patience is not an easy virtue!
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Well Porky may be slow but he sure seems purposeful and determined! These are outstanding shots of this amazing animal in the wild. Snow is real bonus!
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Many people don’t consider snow a bonus but in this case it really was. Yes it was determined to wander around aimlessly as much as I could figure out. Thanks so much for the comments.
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Oh I definitely feel the snow added a lot to making these photos quite special.
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Love these pictures!!
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Thanks. It was a lot of fun taking them though a bit chilly.
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I think they are fascinating creatures. I have rarely gotten to see one out in the open though. Lovely set.
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They are fascinating and I was thrilled to find it since I’ve seen very few. Thanks.
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Is super cute!! I’ve never seen one of these before, not even on pictures! Thanks for sharing 😀
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I’m happy to introduce you to one of the most unusual creatures around here. I’m actually surprised how many people are saying it is cute – that is certainly not its reputation. Most people focus on the razor sharp quills with barbs which turns out to be quite helpful in self defence. Thanks for commenting.
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it just looks like something out of a scifi movie. i can hear it mumbling to itself as it walks. beautiful animal – thanks for sharing!
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Now that you mention it, I can see that too. Appreciate the comments.
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Beautiful pictures, almost spiritual (and I’m not the spiritual type).
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I have seen porcupines before but I think the snow added a special effect. Thanks for commenting.
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that is soooooooo cute!
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So glad you liked it. And here I thot I might be the only one!
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Enjoyable read and fantastic pictures. Great commentary also. Another exceptional post, Lyle. Thanks.
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Thanks Arlene. I was wondering for a while what I was going to do with porcupine photos but it was fun to put it all together.
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You make them look soft and cuddly. 🙂
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They have a unique appeal. I read that they are porcupine couples are actually cuddly with each other though I imagine they have to be careful.
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Reblogged this on AddGrainOnEarth and commented:
this is a interesting post by Krahnpix, regarding porcupine reflection. Enjoy reading!
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I really appreciate the comments and the reblog Sydney. Thanks so much.
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sooooo cute 🙂 lovely pics, i wish i had one of these …
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Glad you like it though it might be a bit of a prickly companion!!
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I think he’s (she’s?) cute, too. I had a Siberian Husky who was dumb enough to tackle a porky… twice!
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I’m not sure about the gender but glad you like it. Many years ago my uncle’s dog was also a slow learner and I had the unpleasant experience of helping to pull quills out of its nose. Not fun!
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I just showed my daughters your pics and, in stereo, both went, “Awwwwwwww!” You’re not the only one who sees cuteness and beauty there. Great shots.
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Thanks – that’s high praise from the daughters! Appreciate you stopping by.
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