West Virginia mammals

North American Porcupine in West Virginia

Erethizon dorsatus

Native to West Virginia

Not listed as nonindigenous in West Virginia by USGS NAS; treated as native to its mapped West Virginia range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Erethizontidae Erethizon dorsatum 3.2North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)
Photo: NasserHalaweh · CC BY-SA 4.0Erethizontidae Erethizon dorsatum 3.2Photo: John Krampl · CC BY 4.0North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)Photo: Tom Norton · CC BY 4.0North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)Photo: Roland Kays · CC0North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)Photo: webohms · CC BY 4.0North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum)

North American Porcupine in West Virginia, by the numbers

Occasional in West Virginia 40th most recorded of 77 mammals logged in West Virginia

15 occurrence records
15 with iNaturalist photos
Jun 6, 2026 Last seen in West Virginia

Records from 2000–2026.

15 total records count every West Virginia occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 11; the monthly chart covers the 11 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the North American Porcupine in West Virginia

Most sightings fall in May to June.

11 West Virginia occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence. Based on a small number of dated records; the seasonal pattern may not be representative.

Monthly West Virginia records (table)
MonthRecords
January0
February0
March0
April1
May3
June4
July2
August0
September0
October1
November0
December0

Monthly north american porcupine occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in West Virginia, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Sparse observation record in West Virginia; presence confirmed but timing of activity not well documented.

Occurrence map

Where North American Porcupine has been recorded in West Virginia

11 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

11 West Virginia records mapped

Where it's recorded in West Virginia

CountyRecords
Tucker County 5
Morgan County 2
Hardy County 1
Grant County 1
Preston County 1
Other localities 5

The complete county distribution, spread across 5 West Virginia counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

North American porcupines have no NatureServe state rank on file in West Virginia, and all 15 of the state’s records appear on iNaturalist, with 8 also in GBIF, so casual sightings carry most of what’s documented about this slow-moving, quill-covered rodent in the Allegheny highlands, where Tucker County leads with 5.

Records cluster from May through July, nine of the 15 sightings, tracking the late-spring and early-summer months when porcupines are most active foraging on new foliage and bark, with only scattered single records the rest of the year, consistent with an animal that’s genuinely uncommon and easy to overlook despite its size.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

North American Porcupine in other states

North American Porcupine range map (all states)

Erethizontidae Erethizon dorsatum 3.2
Full species profile North American Porcupine Erethizon dorsatus Size 60–90 cm2–3 ft Weight 3.5–12 kg7.7–26.5 lb Lifespan Up to 23.4 yr View the full profile

More mammals in West Virginia in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries