The National Zoo has welcomed an adorable new baby porcupine, or porcupette -- yes, this is a word.
The baby was born Tuesday and appears to be doing well and is nursing, the zoo said.
Its prehensile-tailed porcupine population now totals three, including the newly born baby. The proud parents are Bess and Clark, the zoo said.
The family is available for viewing at the zoo's small mammal house.
The porcupette weighed in at 378 grams Thursday morning. Its sex isn't yet known, but a quill has been collected for genetic testing. The results won't be in for a few weeks, said National Zoo spokesperson Annalisa Meyer.
Bess and Clark had another baby, named Charlotte, back in October. Since then, Charlotte has been moved to a different zoo, Meyer said.
