diff --git a/Modules/FindPerl.cmake b/Modules/FindPerl.cmake
index db393e7d4..ae686df75 100644
--- a/Modules/FindPerl.cmake
+++ b/Modules/FindPerl.cmake
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 # - Find perl
 # this module looks for Perl
 #
-#  PERL_EXECUTABLE - the full path to perl
-#  PERL_FOUND      - If false, don't attempt to use perl.
+#  PERL_EXECUTABLE     - the full path to perl
+#  PERL_FOUND          - If false, don't attempt to use perl.
+#  PERL_VERSION_STRING - version of perl found (since CMake 2.8.8)
 
 #=============================================================================
 # Copyright 2001-2009 Kitware, Inc.
@@ -39,12 +40,44 @@ FIND_PROGRAM(PERL_EXECUTABLE
   PATHS ${PERL_POSSIBLE_BIN_PATHS}
   )
 
+IF(PERL_EXECUTABLE)
+  ### PERL_VERSION
+  EXECUTE_PROCESS(
+    COMMAND
+      ${PERL_EXECUTABLE} -V:version
+      OUTPUT_VARIABLE
+        PERL_VERSION_OUTPUT_VARIABLE
+      RESULT_VARIABLE
+        PERL_VERSION_RESULT_VARIABLE
+      ERROR_QUIET
+      OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
+  )
+  IF(NOT PERL_VERSION_RESULT_VARIABLE AND NOT PERL_VERSION_OUTPUT_VARIABLE MATCHES "^version='UNKNOWN'")
+    STRING(REGEX REPLACE "version='([^']+)'.*" "\\1" PERL_VERSION_STRING ${PERL_VERSION_OUTPUT_VARIABLE})
+  ELSE()
+    EXECUTE_PROCESS(
+      COMMAND ${PERL_EXECUTABLE} -v
+      OUTPUT_VARIABLE PERL_VERSION_OUTPUT_VARIABLE
+      RESULT_VARIABLE PERL_VERSION_RESULT_VARIABLE
+      ERROR_QUIET
+      OUTPUT_STRIP_TRAILING_WHITESPACE
+    )
+    IF(NOT PERL_VERSION_RESULT_VARIABLE AND PERL_VERSION_OUTPUT_VARIABLE MATCHES "This is perl.*[ \\(]v([0-9\\._]+)[ \\)]")
+      STRING(REGEX REPLACE ".*This is perl.*[ \\(]v([0-9\\._]+)[ \\)].*" "\\1" PERL_VERSION_STRING ${PERL_VERSION_OUTPUT_VARIABLE})
+    ELSEIF(NOT PERL_VERSION_RESULT_VARIABLE AND PERL_VERSION_OUTPUT_VARIABLE MATCHES "This is perl, version ([0-9\\._]+) +")
+      STRING(REGEX REPLACE ".*This is perl, version ([0-9\\._]+) +.*" "\\1" PERL_VERSION_STRING ${PERL_VERSION_OUTPUT_VARIABLE})
+    ENDIF()
+  ENDIF()
+ENDIF(PERL_EXECUTABLE)
+
 # Deprecated settings for compatibility with CMake1.4
 SET(PERL ${PERL_EXECUTABLE})
 
 # handle the QUIETLY and REQUIRED arguments and set PERL_FOUND to TRUE if 
 # all listed variables are TRUE
 INCLUDE(${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/FindPackageHandleStandardArgs.cmake)
-FIND_PACKAGE_HANDLE_STANDARD_ARGS(Perl DEFAULT_MSG PERL_EXECUTABLE)
+FIND_PACKAGE_HANDLE_STANDARD_ARGS(Perl
+                                  REQUIRED_VARS PERL_EXECUTABLE
+                                  VERSION_VAR PERL_VERSION_STRING)
 
 MARK_AS_ADVANCED(PERL_EXECUTABLE)
diff --git a/Modules/FindPerlLibs.cmake b/Modules/FindPerlLibs.cmake
index eea55f174..0ac8060c8 100644
--- a/Modules/FindPerlLibs.cmake
+++ b/Modules/FindPerlLibs.cmake
@@ -55,19 +55,6 @@ if (PERL_EXECUTABLE)
     string(REGEX REPLACE "prefix='([^']+)'.*" "\\1" PERL_PREFIX ${PERL_PREFIX_OUTPUT_VARIABLE})
   endif (NOT PERL_PREFIX_RESULT_VARIABLE)
 
-  ### PERL_VERSION
-  execute_process(
-    COMMAND
-      ${PERL_EXECUTABLE} -V:version
-      OUTPUT_VARIABLE
-        PERL_VERSION_OUTPUT_VARIABLE
-      RESULT_VARIABLE
-        PERL_VERSION_RESULT_VARIABLE
-  )
-  if (NOT PERL_VERSION_RESULT_VARIABLE)
-    string(REGEX REPLACE "version='([^']+)'.*" "\\1" PERL_VERSION ${PERL_VERSION_OUTPUT_VARIABLE})
-  endif (NOT PERL_VERSION_RESULT_VARIABLE)
-
   ### PERL_ARCHNAME
   execute_process(
     COMMAND
@@ -206,19 +193,19 @@ if (PERL_EXECUTABLE)
   ### PERL_POSSIBLE_INCLUDE_PATHS
   set(PERL_POSSIBLE_INCLUDE_PATHS
     ${PERL_ARCHLIB}/CORE
-    /usr/lib/perl5/${PERL_VERSION}/${PERL_ARCHNAME}/CORE
-    /usr/lib/perl/${PERL_VERSION}/${PERL_ARCHNAME}/CORE
-    /usr/lib/perl5/${PERL_VERSION}/CORE
-    /usr/lib/perl/${PERL_VERSION}/CORE
+    /usr/lib/perl5/${PERL_VERSION_STRING}/${PERL_ARCHNAME}/CORE
+    /usr/lib/perl/${PERL_VERSION_STRING}/${PERL_ARCHNAME}/CORE
+    /usr/lib/perl5/${PERL_VERSION_STRING}/CORE
+    /usr/lib/perl/${PERL_VERSION_STRING}/CORE
     )
 
   ### PERL_POSSIBLE_LIB_PATHS
   set(PERL_POSSIBLE_LIB_PATHS
     ${PERL_ARCHLIB}/CORE
-    /usr/lib/perl5/${PERL_VERSION}/${PERL_ARCHNAME}/CORE
-    /usr/lib/perl/${PERL_VERSION}/${PERL_ARCHNAME}/CORE
-    /usr/lib/perl5/${PERL_VERSION}/CORE
-    /usr/lib/perl/${PERL_VERSION}/CORE
+    /usr/lib/perl5/${PERL_VERSION_STRING}/${PERL_ARCHNAME}/CORE
+    /usr/lib/perl/${PERL_VERSION_STRING}/${PERL_ARCHNAME}/CORE
+    /usr/lib/perl5/${PERL_VERSION_STRING}/CORE
+    /usr/lib/perl/${PERL_VERSION_STRING}/CORE
   )
 
   ### PERL_POSSIBLE_LIBRARY_NAME
@@ -249,7 +236,7 @@ if (PERL_EXECUTABLE)
   find_library(PERL_LIBRARY
     NAMES
       ${PERL_POSSIBLE_LIBRARY_NAME}
-      perl${PERL_VERSION}
+      perl${PERL_VERSION_STRING}
       perl
     PATHS
       ${PERL_POSSIBLE_LIB_PATHS}
@@ -261,15 +248,16 @@ endif (PERL_EXECUTABLE)
 # all listed variables are TRUE
 include(${CMAKE_CURRENT_LIST_DIR}/FindPackageHandleStandardArgs.cmake)
 find_package_handle_standard_args(PerlLibs REQUIRED_VARS PERL_LIBRARY PERL_INCLUDE_PATH
-                                           VERSION_VAR PERL_VERSION)
+                                           VERSION_VAR PERL_VERSION_STRING)
 
 # Introduced after CMake 2.6.4 to bring module into compliance
 set(PERL_INCLUDE_DIR  ${PERL_INCLUDE_PATH})
 set(PERL_INCLUDE_DIRS ${PERL_INCLUDE_PATH})
 set(PERL_LIBRARIES    ${PERL_LIBRARY})
+# For backward compatibility with CMake before 2.8.7
+set(PERL_VERSION ${PERL_VERSION_STRING})
 
 mark_as_advanced(
   PERL_INCLUDE_PATH
-  PERL_EXECUTABLE
   PERL_LIBRARY
 )