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Hello and welcome back to Animal Wonders! I'm Jessi, this is Tinkles (?) the hedgehog, and this is Kemosabe the porcupine.

We get asked often if hedgehogs and porcupines are related. And I can understand why someone would think that because their main feature is a body covered in quills. So while these spiky friends look really similar and neither are very good at giving hugs, they actually aren't closely related at all. 

Hedgehogs and porcupines come in a variety of species. There are 29 species of porcupines and 17 species of hedgehogs. Both groups of animals are classified as mammals. Which generally means that they're warm-blooded (or endothermic), their babies are fed with milk produced from their mother, and they have hair on some part of their body. 

In this case, hedgehog and porcupine hair can be a variety of soft fur, wiry hair, or sharp-tipped quills but that's where the similarities end. To really understand these two animals, and figure out the differences, we need to take a look inside their mouth at their teeth. 

Porcupines have very large incisors. Those are those front teeth right up here. They have two on the top and two on the bottom. They have an orange tint to the front of them because they have a layer of iron mixed in to make them extra hard.

These specialized teeth are also ever-growing. Which means they continue to grow throughout their entire life. Porcupines don't have any canines, which are the ones right next to your incisors. Instead, they have a gap between their front teeth and their molars in the back. 

Their one pre-molar and three molars are also somewhat evergrowing, though they will eventually grow old enough that their molars reach the end of their growing life and will simply fall out. In total, porcupines have just 20 teeth: 16 molars and 4 incisors.

All of these teeth traits help us know that porcupines belong to a large group of mammals called rodents. So they're closely related to animals like rats, guinea pigs, and squirrels. 

Hedgehogs, on the other hand, look very different inside their mouths. They have 36 to 44 sharp pointed teeth. None of their teeth are evergrowing like rodent teeth, and they have three incisors instead of the two that porcupines have.

They also have canines, those pointy teeth that dogs and humans and many other mammals have. And they have three pre-molars and three molars. All of these teeth traits help them catch and chew up a variety of foods, like caterpillars, beetles, and worms.

And it helps us know they belong to the group Eulipotyphla. The Eulipotyphla family also includes shrews, moles, and solenodons. And those are hedgehogs' closest living relatives. 

So even though they have a similar body covering, those thousands of quills protecting them are just a form of convergent evolution. Meaning, the same adaptation evolved on two completely different species of animals. Which really means, it must work really well. 

I enjoy learning about how different animals are related to each other. The outside appearance can be deceiving sometimes! So I like to say, "When in doubt, look at the teeth!" That will usually give you a good starting point. 

Thank you for watching! I hope you enjoyed learning more about hedgehogs and porcupines. Their quills are really something, aren't they? 

Speaking of quills, there's this neat thing I just learned about called paper quilling! And if you're into creating art, you might enjoy this class on Skillshare. 

Colo Alonso's class shows you how to create fun and beautiful patterns with just paper. Colo will teach you the basics of quilling and then help you create a unique design of your name. Or, maybe you can make a neat nameplate for a special pet. I think Tinkles the hedgehog could use one of their own. 

Skillshare is an online learning community that offers membership with meaning. With so much to explore, real projects to create, and the support of fellow creatives, Skillshare empowers you to accomplish real growth. And it makes it easy with short classes that will fit into your daily routine. 

A premium membership will give you unlimited access, so you can join the classes and communities that are just right for you. And an annual subscription to Skillshare is less than 10$ a month. And if you're one of the first 1000 people to click the link in the description, you can get a free trial of Skillshare's premium membership. 

Thank you for watching! If you'd like to continue learning about animals and go on new adventures each week, be sure to subscribe and we'll see you soon. Bye!