Quillbur “is going to be a very busy fellow.”

For the fourth time since December 2015, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo prehensile-tailed porcupines Bess and Clark brought life into the world.

Congrats to parents Bess and Clark!

The two-month-old porcupine makes her debut before Bei Bei.

2009 was a real up-and-down year for the National Zoo. Aside from the massive, inevitable loss of our beloved Butterstick, 2009 also saw the Zoo lose an elderly sloth bear, two rare oryx, and Amazonian fish. Even Happy the Hippo hit the road with nary a goodbye. But it was also a damn fine year for new furballs, waddlers, and such squee-worthy additions. For example: Aww. AWW. AWWWWW. Ahem. Aww. Here’s hoping that 2010…