Watch amazing video of a cute leopard cub sussing out a porcupine and testing the sharpness of its quills... Is it worth attacking?

Watch amazing video of a cute leopard cub sussing out a porcupine and testing the sharpness of its quills... Is it worth attacking?

Published: April 2, 2025 at 10:43 am

This leopard is young and probably inexperienced, as by prodding at a porcupine's rear, it is risking getting quills in its paw, says John Coppinger, an African wildlife guide.

It might have had more success if it had directed its attack at the head or shoulders, which are covered in thin, relatively soft quills. The porcupine could then have been flipped over to expose its unprotected throat and belly.

When threatened, porcupines turn their backs to their aggressors – as seen in the videos below –, rattling their fanned-out quills in warning. They then dash backwards or sideways to drive their quills into the enemy.

"I think I will get a little closer..."

Porcupine quills are black and white - classic nocturnal warning colours - and are formidable defensive weapons. They can inflict septic, sometimes fatal, wounds on hapless attackers.

But, contrary to folklore, porcupines can't shoot their quills, though the tough but flexible spines do detach easily from the skin.

How often leopards attack porcupines depends on how common these rodents are within the cats' ranges, and also on personal experience. If a leopard survives a stabbing, it is likely to avoid porcupines in future.

However, some do learn successful techniques, probably from their mother, and will actually specialise in preying on these prickly rodents.

This website is owned and published by Our Media Ltd. www.ourmedia.co.uk
© Our Media 2025