What prickly animal has needle-like quills on its body?

The prickly animal with needle-like quills on its body is the porcupine. Porcupines are rodents whose bodies are covered with specialized hairs that become stiff, sharp quills for protection.

There are two major groups: New World porcupines, found in the Americas, and Old World porcupines, native to Europe, Africa, and Asia. They are not related to hedgehogs, although both animals have defensive spines. A porcupine cannot shoot its quills, a common misconception; the quills detach when a predator makes forceful contact.

Porcupines usually raise their quills when threatened and may also rattle specialized hollow quills in the tail. Their diet commonly includes bark, leaves, roots, fruit, and other plant material. Quills are modified hairs made largely of keratin, the same protein found in human hair and fingernails.