Recent Records and Range Expansion of Erethizon dorsatum (North American Porcupine) in Virginia

Nancy D. Moncrief^1,* and Michael L. Fies²

¹Virginia Museum of Natural History, 21 Starling Avenue, Martinsville, VA 24112. ²Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, PO Box 996, Verona, VA 24482. *Corresponding author.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 27, Issue 2 (2020): N21–N27

Abstract
Although Erethizon dorsatum (North American Porcupine, hereafter Porcupine), occurred in Virginia during the Pleistocene and into the 1700s, this species was probably extirpated from the state by the mid-1800s. Here we document recent evidence of Porcupines in Virginia from verified photographs submitted to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and voucher specimens deposited into the Mammal Collection of the Virginia Museum of Natural History. These recently collected and observed Porcupines are likely dispersers from expanding Porcupine populations in western Maryland and eastern West Virginia. This report includes evidence of reproduction in Virginia populations (or nearby populations in West Virginia) and provides a foundation for future investigations into the distribution and abundance of the Porcupine in Virginia.

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