How did the porcupine gets its name?

The early French thought that the porcupine resembled a thorny pig and borrowed the Lanin nouns porcus, meaning "pig," and spinga, meaning "thorn," to form the name porc d'espine. English later adapted the French version and spelled it "porcupine."

Who is Abul Abaz?

Actually, Abul Abaz was the name of an elephant that lived around A.D. 810 in the land known today as France. At the time, the area was part of the Holy Roman Empire ruled by Charlemagne. Among the fascinating friendships that Charlemagne cultivated was that of Harun al-Rashid, the ruler of Baghdad (the main city retains the same name today). Charlemagne received many gifts from foreign leaders, but one of the most exotic was Abul Abax, the elephant al-Rashid sent him. Abul thrived in the West for 12 years. In 810, when Charlemagne marched north against the Danes (in the present-day area of Denmark), Abul died in the campaign.

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