WASHINGTON — The Smithsonian National Zoo welcomed a new member to their family in early November as they announced that 2-year-old Beatrix, a prehensile-tailed porcupine, was a new mom. Beatrix gave birth overnight between Nov. 5 and 6, to a male porcupette weighing less than a pound.
Now the Zoo needs your help to give the baby, born to parents Beatrix and Quillber, a name. The Zoo prefers to name baby animals within two months so they can begin consistently using the name during training.
Don't get prickly, but the Zoo is not taking write-in names. Your options are: Quilliam, Quilson, Prickles and Gonzo.
After nearly 2,500 people voted, Quilliam received 43% of the vote.
Prehensile-tailed porcupines are nocturnal, so Beatrix and her baby spend most of their days sleeping nestled near each other, but the porcupette has been seen navigating the tree branches of its habitat using its tail as a fifth limb.
The species is native to South America, and use their tails, which do not have quills on the underside, to grip branches so they can spend their time up in the trees eating leaves, flowers and shoots.
The baby is the fourth generation of this family to live in the Small Mammal House. At birth, porcupette quills are soft, but they harden within minutes.