Porcupine

Beautiful shot.

Great photo Elke. How high up is he?

Thanks Toto - one of Patrick's, actually. See? I do let him do other things than furniture-making.
He was only about 10 feet off the ground, Tasteyg, in a clump of small maple trunks that had grown from the stump of a felled maple tree. It's a wonder the slender trees could hold his weight, or that he was comfy up there. He stayed up there for at least a couple of hours.
Porcupines are VERY plentiful here, and can strip a tree of its bark in no time, so can be very destructive. The First Nations people (the Mi'kmaq Nation in this region) use the quills for beautiful artwork and traditional crafts. Here's a link if you're interested:
http://www.travelandtransitions.com/stories_photos/bear_river.htm

WOW, he's beautiful.

I heard, they are a bit dangerous. Is this a mare??- But he (or she) is very cute.

Yes, Nelke - if they are attacked or bothered (e.g., by a dog) they literally shoot their quills, which stay active for hours (they keep on burrowing into whatever they hit, even into a tree trunk). They are also filled with a nasty venom, and removal is extremely painful.
I didn't get close enough to find out the gender. Interesting creatures.

exactly, what I heard. isn´t it crazy, what they can do, the sqills shooting?