Brazilian native, 52-year-old Sandra Nabuco, got the shock of her life when a porcupine fell on her head, injuring her scalp with 200 sharp quills.

She was walking her dog in Gavea, south of Rio de Janeiro, when the accident happened. The porcupine is likely to have fallen from a lamppost.

Ms Nabucco recalled, quoted by Globo newspaper, "It was a huge shock. I felt a thud on my head and then felt spines on my hands. The pain was enormous."

The poor woman went to a hospital to have the 200 plus quills removed one by one, using tweezers. She was prescribed antibiotics to prevent infection.

Ms Nabucco added, "I am a strong woman, an old person or child would have died. I also care about the animals."

To see Ms Nabucco's quill-ridden head, click here.

Because of the animal's quills, the porcupine could protect itself from bigger animals such as bulldogs

YouTube/Epic Wildlife

Lions

YouTube/National Geographic

Or snakes.

YouTube/Yasuni Wilderness

RELATED STORIES