At first I thought that was an egg-laying squirrel.
Some commenters on UnhingedMenagerie’s videos refer to their porcupine friends as Needle Beavers.
Honestly it’s closer than the real “needle pig” name.
Yup. They even have flat, paddle-like tails.
Both are rodents of unusual size but they come by it very differently. Beavers are one of many groups that originated in the northern hemisphere, related to things like gophers and more distantly to things like squirrels and mice. Porcupines instead evolved twice among the hystricognath line from the south – one family in Africa, and another after they spread to South America – and then came to North America via the Isthmus of Panama during the ice age. Their relatives then include things like capybaras and guinea pigs.
That is so cool. Thanks for hippin’ me/us!
Checked the under step camera and saw this.
Momo! What are you doing in the squizzles thread!
Mr. Racoon just won’t give up.
I watched the replay, when the racoon started up the base of the tree all the babies exited the house and went up.
Momma hugged the tree and watched the racoon for quite a while, she was like a statue just keeping an eye on it.
I’m starting to think this racoon is a real asshole and probably a trump voter to boot!
Yep. MAGA coward hiding behind its mask.
We’re debating leaving food on the ground but we don’t want to encourage it to hang around.
In the past when a racoon showed up we’d just stop leaving food out for other animals and it would move on, this is the longest one has hung around.
We live on a giant wetland/marsh, there’s plenty of food sources very close by.
I’m thinking of leaving the hose by the door turned on and ready to squirt but I don’t want to out dick the dick racoon.
The plus side is all 4 babies are old enough to scatter high into the tree.
I was outside for a couple hours building my wife a flower box, momma was just chillin’ watching me use power tools.
She was thinking “I could do all that with just my teeth.”
You could try to trap the raccoon and release it elsewhere, but ideally it would move on on its own like you said. It’s likely hanging out since it thinks it can get more squirrels 
I thought about that but it’s illegal to relocate a racoon unless it’s on private land.
There are plenty of spots I could release without being seen but then we worry the racoon has a family near by.
Decisions decisions.
Edited to add…
I just said to my wife maybe we should relocate. Mrs. Wildlife says nope, raccoons that get relocated usually don’t survive.