The natural diet of Erethizon varies seasonally. In spring and summer, the porcupine is adaptive in its diet, consuming various ground plants and leaves, depending on the geographical location. Grasses, leaves, flowers, herbs and raspberry canes are consumed (Dodge, 1967; Betancourt, et al., 1986; Roze, 1989). In the autumn and winter however, the diet is restricted to nuts, phloem and cambium of coniferous and deciduous trees and coniferous foliage. These plant parts, especially in the crown of trees, contain the highest amounts of fats and carbohydrates available during the winter, so they provide the best nutrition (Harder, 1979).
Roze (1985) indicated individual porcupines limited their winter diet to one - three tree species, even though on a population level, up to ten tree species were consumed in a given habitat. The conclusion the author gave was that either this strategy limited intraspecific competition and allowed more animals to exploit a given habitat, and/or it increased digestive efficiency of intestinal microorganisms.
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