Additional Observations of Porcupine in Kansas

Abstract

The porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) is reported to occur across Kansas with the possible exception of the southeastern corner of the state (Bee et al., 1981). Distribution records are limited and widely scattered (Bee et al., 1981) and provide limited insight into the general distributional pattern of porcupine in Kansas. More importantly, the geographically scattered records highlight our limited knowledge and demonstrate an ongoing need to document the distributional status of porcupine in the state (e.g., Choate and Fleharty, 1975). Recently, a road-killed specimen was recorded for Russell County (Kaufman, 1988), and visual observations of this large rodent were noted for the northern portion of Fort Riley (Pitts, Levalley, and Klinger, 1987). The Fort Riley locations are most likely in Riley County, although an explicit statement to this effect was not made. In this report, we document the presence of porcupine in Lincoln County, Kansas, add information on porcupine in Riley County, and correct an error in the legal description for the previously described Russell County specimen. On 24 October 1993, we noted the remains of a porcupine along the northern edge of the westbound lanes of Interstate 70 in extreme southeastern Lincoln County. The specific location is approximately 11 miles S, 10 miles E of Lincoln, Lincoln County, Kansas (E?/2, Sec. 34, T13S, R6W). This location is about 40 miles east of the Russell County record (Kaufman, 1988). Planted trees were less than '/4 mile to the north of the collection site, whereas a wooded stream was less than 3/4 mile to the south. This porcupine was badly crushed and decomposed so that information on age or size could not be collected. Further, we could not salvage any skeletal material, but did collect a sample of hair and quills (deposited in the Museum of the High Plains, Fort Hays State University). For Riley County, our first observation was of a road-killed porcupine noted by B. Hettenbach along U.S. Highway 24 several miles north of Manhattan, Kansas, during autumn 1989. This was an adult-sized individual whose skull was badly broken but whose skin appeared to be in good condition. Later, the skin could not be salvaged and the preparator, without our knowledge, discarded the entire carcass. Our second record for Riley County comes from an observation made by D. E. Burkhead on 23 November 1990. In this instance, a horse that was behaving in an unusual fashion was found to have porcupine quills in its