Once common, the rodents with needle-sharp quills are still populous in many grasslands, sagebrush and deciduous forests at low elevations.
But they have largely disappeared over the past decade from many mountain evergreen forests - from western Canada to the southwestern United States, according to anecdotal reports.
The study, which is being conducted in the Bitterroot Valley, is funded by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
“We don't know if their populations are actually declining, but we're definitely not seeing as many,” Mally said.
Few studies have looked at porcupines in North America and none in the West's mountains, so UM researchers didn't have historic data to compare with today's porcupine populations.
In 2006, Mally put out a survey and magazine ad, which prompted hundreds of responses from outfitters, hikers, rural residents and others who said they were seeing far fewer porcupines than in past decades.
Mally originally intended to compare populations at lower and higher elevations, but no porcupines could be found in the Bitterroot Mountains.
Instead, she is gathering baseline information about the rodents, their habitat, food sources, reproduction, movements and other factors in the Bitterroot Valley bottom, where they are still relatively common. Her research is intended to lay the groundwork for further studies.
Porcupines have long been considered a pest by ranchers, loggers, the U.S. Forest Service and others, who have shot, poisoned and trapped untold numbers of the wood-eating rodents. Porcupines aren't a regulated game species, so they can be killed anytime.
Researchers aren't sure why porcupines seem to be disappearing from the West's mountains.
Their only predators are fishers and mountain lions, two species that were exterminated by hunting and trapping in much of the West by the early 1900s, which may have allowed porcupine numbers to rise.
Today, fisher populations remain low, while mountain lion numbers have increased - albeit not to the extent they would decimate porcupines.
Other possible causes include diseases, parasites, habitat degradation, run-ins with cars and loss of food sources.
Since spring 2007, the UM researchers have put radio collars on seven porcupines. They hope to collar another three this spring.
Porcupines are difficult to trap - they are solitary, quiet and blend into the ponderosa pines and cottonwoods where they take refuge high off the ground. They are also difficult to handle, so researchers wear thick welder's gloves.
Each week, Mally tracks her subjects during the day and night to gather data on their health, scat and other issues. All appear healthy. At least four of the six females have had babies, known as porcupettes. A female typically gives birth to one baby each year.
On Friday, Mally tracked down two of her porcupines, which were nestled about 60 feet up in ponderosa pine branches at the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge.
She and Foresman said they know they are taking on one of nature's most curious-looking but overlooked creatures, a species known by the unglamorous nickname “quill pig.”
“There isn't any Rocky Mountain Porcupine Foundation,” Mally said. “They're mostly taken for granted, so there are just a lot of unknowns.”
Reporter John Cramer can be reached at 523-5259 or at johncramer@missoulian.com.
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