The mating behavior video had the general idea of how mating proceeds in porcupines, but it missed some details. In the video the general steps of mating were:
- Rubbing noses
- Males urinating on female from head to toe.
- If female likes the pheromones from the urine it will expose the non spiny part of underbelly
- Mating then proceeds cautiously.
According to the Animal Sex article, one the first things you should mention in porcupine mating behavior is how it differs depending on what type of porcupine you talking about. There are two different varieties of porcupines; old world and new world. The old world live underground while new world live in trees. Old world porcupines are monogamous, and the female porcupines breed several times a year. The new world porcupines, which include the north american variety, only breed once a year and females are only receptive to mating for eight to twelve hours.
Aside from these time issues, the basic steps are the same, though there are some more details to include. The female secretes an odorous vaginal mucus and urine. This attracts males to the female. He expresses his excitement by singing or whining in a low tone, doing a “three-legged walk” by holding his genitals with his front left paw, rubbing his genitals then his nose on the objects surrounding them and finishes by straddling a stick to remain stimulated by the contact (Shadle, 1946). According to the livescience article, the males compete for the female and the victorious male mate-guards her. He will try to stimulate her to go into estrous by urinating on her. This is not normal urine, but is the equivalent to an ejaculation. If the female is not receptive she will shriek, attempt to bite the male, and run away. If she agrees to mate, she will flip her tail to her back and flatten her spines so as not to impale him.
For the new world porcupines, when the female has had enough she will move away and the male will search for another to mate. For the old world porcupine the males and the females will continue sterile matings even soon after the female gives birth.
References
Shadle, A., 1946. Copulation in the Porcupine. The Journal of Wildlife Management, Vol 10:159-162 http://www.jstor.org/stable/3796077?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
Castro J. 2014 Aug 2. Animal Sex: How Porcupines Do It. livescience.com; [accessed 2016 Apr 7]. http://www.livescience.com/47169-animal-sex-porcupines.html
Animal Behavior 