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Opossum vs Porcupine - What's the difference?

opossum | porcupine |

As nouns the difference between opossum and porcupine

is that opossum is any American marsupial of the family Didelphidae. The common species of the United States is Didelphis virginiana while porcupine is any of several rodents of either of the taxonomic families Hystricidae (Old World porcupines) or Erethizontidae (New World porcupines), noted for their sharp spines or quills, which are raised when the animal is attacked or surprised.

opossum

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • Any American marsupial of the family Didelphidae. The common species of the United States is Didelphis virginiana .

    • Synonyms

    * possum (US)

    Derived terms

    * water opossum () * opossum mouse * opossum rat () * opossum shrimp

    See also

    * ("opossum" on Wikipedia) * (Didelphidae) *

    References

    * ----

    porcupine

    English

    (wikipedia porcupine)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Any of several rodents of either of the taxonomic families Hystricidae (Old World porcupines) or Erethizontidae (New World porcupines), noted for their sharp spines or quills, which are raised when the animal is attacked or surprised.
  • * 1981 , Adolph Murie, The Grizzlies of Mount McKinley , page 218,
    • I have no evidence of grizzlies killing porcupines' or vice versa. However, occasionally there is contact and sometimes a grizzly is injured or a ' porcupine killed, but the latter is rare.
  • * 2010 , Richard Potts, Early Hominid Activities at Olduvai , page 81,
    • In particular, porcupines , hyenas, and leopards are known in Africa to transport bones to particular places.
  • * 2011 , John P. Rafferty, Rats, Bats, and Xenarthrans , page 113,
    • Old World porcupines' (Hystricidae) have quills embedded in clusters, whereas in New World '''porcupines''' (Erethizontidae) single quills are interspersed with bristles, underfur, and hair. No ' porcupine can throw its quills, but they detach easily and will remain embedded in an attacker.

    Synonyms

    * (any species of Hystricidae or Erethizontidae)

    Derived terms

    * African brush-tailed porcupine () * Andean porcupine () * Bahia porcupine () * bicolored-spined porcupine () * black dwarf porcupine () * black-tailed hairy dwarf porcupine () * Brazilian porcupine () * bristle-spined porcupine () ( = bristle-spined rat) * brown hairy dwarf porcupine () * Canada porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum ) * Canadian porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum ) * common porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum ) * crested porcupine () * frosted hairy dwarf porcupine () * Koopman's porcupine () * Mexican hairy dwarf porcupine () * Mexican tree porcupine () * New World porcupine (Erethizontidae) * North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum ) * Old World porcupine (Hystricidae) * orange-spined hairy dwarf porcupine () * Paraguaian hairy dwarf porcupine () * Porcs * Porcupine Abyssal Plain (PAP) * Porcupine Bank * porcupine caribou () ( = Grant's caribou) * Porcupine Creek * porcupine family * Porcupine Flat Campground * porcupinefish, porcupine fish * porcupine flower () * Porcupine Freedom Festival (PorcFest) * Porcupine Gold Rush * Porcupine Gorge National Park, Queensland, Australia ( = Porcupine Gorge) * Porcupine Hills * Porcupine Lake * Porcupine Mall * Porcupine Meadows Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada, ( = Porcupine Meadows Park) * Porcupine Mountains, Michigan ( = Porkies) * Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park * porcupine, Ontario * Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan * Porcupine River * porcupine seabight * porcupine, South Dakota * porcupine tree * porcupine, Wisconsin * prehensile-tailed porcupine () * Roosmalen's dwarf porcupine () * Rothschild's porcupine () * Santa Marta porcupine () * South porcupine, (Ontario) (SoPo) * streaked dwarf porcupine () * stump-tailed porcupine () * thin-spined porcupine () ( = bristle-spined rat) * urson * USS Porcupine

    Related terms

    * Chaetomyinae * Chaetomys * Coendou * echimyid * Echimyidae * Echinoprocta * Erethizon * erethizontid * Erethizontinae * erethizontine * hystricid * hystricine * Hystricognathi * porcine * porcus * porky * porpentine (Shakespearean word) * Sphiggurus

    See also

    * echidna * hedgehog * spiny anteater * urchin