Meet Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s cutest prickly boy, Fofo! Fofo is a 8-week-old prehensile-tailed porcupette. He is the fourth generation of prehensile-tailed porcupines born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, a part of a breeding program that is helping the North American population thrive.
Don’t let his spiky appearance deters you, Fofo is actually calm, gentle and good-natured - befitting of his name, which is Portuguese for “cute”. He weighs about 1.5 kilograms, or 3.3 pounds, and is still growing every day.
For those who’d like to say hello to Fofo, prehensile-tailed porcupines are nocturnal, so they are most active at night. Daytime visitors at the zoo mostly get to see Fofo sleeping on a piece of perching right next to his mama Beatrix.
Image: Smithsonian's National Zoo