A tiny new arrival is making history at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma.
A tiny new arrival is making history at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma.
The zoo announced that, for the first time in its 121-year history, a prehensile-tailed porcupine, also known as a coendou, was born Aug. 17.
The baby, described as a “porcupette,” was born to parents Nigel and Quillow.
The birth followed a breeding recommendation through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan (SSP), a program aimed at maintaining healthy, genetically diverse animal populations in accredited zoos and aquariums.
New baby porcupette born at Point Defiance Zoo- 8/26/2026 (Katie G. Cotterill/Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium)At 1 week old, the porcupette received a hands-on wellness exam with the zoo’s veterinary team. Head Veterinarian Dr. Karen Wolf listened to the animal’s heart and lungs, checked its eyes and mouth, and weighed it. The team also collected several quills for DNA analysis to determine the porcupette’s sex, because its anatomy makes visual identification difficult.
Coendous are adapted for life in the treetops, the zoo said. Their prehensile tails help them balance and climb, and the bare soles of their feet help them grip branches. Their quills are their primary defense, with many described as semi-hollow and barbed at the tips. The zoo also noted they have soft, velvety noses and long whiskers that help them navigate.
For now, the porcupette will remain behind the scenes with its parents at the Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater.
Keepers will weigh the baby regularly, and the veterinary team will conduct periodic health checks.
