Who eats porcupines?
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
Eugene, Oregon
December 4, 2015 11:17am CST
I had not thought about that until I heard that the state of Washington had reintroduced a couple of hundred little predators called "Fishers" into two areas of that state. Fishers are one of the only predators who tackle the prickly porcupines.
Porcupines damage trees and an overpopulation can wreak havoc on a forest. Fishers are house cat-sized fur bearing mammals who have always populated the northwest forests, but were almost wiped out by trapping and accidental poisoning. Despite the name, Fishers don't eat fish, but are related to minks who do eat fish.
We have some of these little porcupine eaters in Oregon too. Have you ever heard of a fisher before? Maybe your country doesn't even have porcupines.
9 people like this
11 responses
@LadyDuck (502198)
• Italy
4 Dec 15
Those little animals look a lot like martens, I believe they are of the same family. We have martens here, they love to chew the cables of the cars, we had to put special protections on our cables, because they live near the brooks and there are few that always come near our home.
4 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
5 Dec 15
Yes, they are related to martens. I am surprised that they chew cables in cars there.
3 people like this
@topffer (42155)
• France
5 Dec 15
@JamesHxstatic Martens also eat cats, rabbits, hares and they can even attack puppies
... It was considered during centuries like a harmful animal in Europe until animal lovers told us that it is useful. The only good with it is its fur
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... It was considered during centuries like a harmful animal in Europe until animal lovers told us that it is useful. The only good with it is its fur.3 people like this
@LadyDuck (502198)
• Italy
5 Dec 15
@JamesHxstatic They make a mess, both here in Switzerland and in Germany. Bosch supply special cables covers to avoid major damages.
2 people like this
@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
4 Dec 15
I had never heard of the Fisher before (which surprises me rather). I see that the name comes from the Dutch visse (or the French fichet), which means polecat and that it is related to the polecats, minks, weasels and otters.
We don't have porcupines here. The nearest we have is the hedgehog, which is a lot smaller and a useful little beastie because it eats slugs, snails and beetles. I understand that porcupines are vegetarian and that their meat is not unpleasant in the summer, at least. I wouldn't mind trying it, provided there was a human (or a tame Fisher) around to catch it for me.
3 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
5 Dec 15
I have not heard of anyone eating porcupines and can imagine that skinning one would be a challenge.
2 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
5 Dec 15
Yes, not many predators deal with porcupines.
1 person likes this
@Castlerock34 (2255)
• Minneapolis, Minnesota
4 Dec 15
Very interesting I had no idea these were around. So how do they not get stuck by the quills of the porcupine when they eat them? These little fishers are adorable though !
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
5 Dec 15
I can't imagine how they eat them. The fishers attack the porcupines in the face, but they still have to get through the quills.
1 person likes this
@Castlerock34 (2255)
• Minneapolis, Minnesota
7 Dec 15
@JamesHxstatic That is something I would like to see if they have any videos on it. It must take great skill to get these guys without injuring themselves
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
9 Dec 15
The question is, what would I do with one once I caught him/her? Pulling those quills out one by one could take a while.
1 person likes this
@paigea (36143)
• Canada
9 Dec 15
@JamesHxstatic I am sure I am never going to find out.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
11 Dec 15
@JamesHxstatic Maybe you would roast it on a fire first and possibly the quills would almost fall out once the meat was done? I don't know that I'd try it/one unless I were desperate and they were easy to capture.
2 people like this
@seren3 (387)
• Los Angeles, California
5 Dec 15
The city of Timmins, Ont. Canada counted 7,000 porcupines in 2006. Just in the city! I imagine the national count is pretty high! Couldn't find out if the Fisher population compares in my quick/curious search. So the Oregonian Fishers will be well fed!
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
5 Dec 15
That is a lot of prickly characters. We never see these animals unless they are road kill I guess.
@RasmaSandra (97912)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
4 Dec 15
@JamesHxstatic never heard of Fishers but we do have porcupines and in Latvian they are called dzeloncuka which sort of translates to barbed wire pig. 
I kid you not if you translate directly. I don't know if they are a hazard here but I do know that we have problems with beavers in the city canals.
I kid you not if you translate directly. I don't know if they are a hazard here but I do know that we have problems with beavers in the city canals.1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
5 Dec 15
That is quite a name for a porcupine. I like the literal translation.
2 people like this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
11 Dec 15
I'm not even sure how prevalent porcupines are in Michigan, I know I saw one fat critter waddling down the road several years ago, but I don't remember what I thought it was. I've never heard of this particular predator to porcupines before. Is there any possibility that the fishers would get out of control in that area without it having natural predators other than mankind?
It seems that each time man tries to help nature by introducing an animal to the area it wrecks havoc, but if these were prevalent at one point in time, then maybe it won't do any long-term harm, or so we hope for your sake.
@nanette64 (20363)
• Fairfield, Texas
4 Dec 15
I didn't realize there was a critter willing to take on a porcupine @JamesHxstatic . Now that has to be tricky.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
5 Dec 15
It may be a very slow food process for the fisher.
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@ElizabethWallace (12069)
• United States
5 Dec 15
Neither exist in SoCal as far as I know. Did you encounter them when you lived in the OC?
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@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
5 Dec 15
I never heard of them there, but they might have once roamed the forests up around Big Bear. They do exist in Oregon in some areas.
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