Mephitis mephitis
Striped Skunks are a
fairly large mammal
from the Weasel Family. They are black with two white
stripes down the back which meet at the head, giving skunks
a white cap. They have bushy black tails, usually tipped
with white. The color patterns can vary. Striped Skunks have long
claws on their front feet for digging. Males are larger than
females, growing up to two and a half feet long. Striped Skunks can be
found in open woods, grassy fields,
and parks. They are never far from water. Utah Education
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Canada Striped Skunks are mostly
nocturnal,
and are therefore very active at night. They build a den in
a protected place. A skunk den is usually a burrow
with up to five entrances. Inside, the den usually has
between one and three chambers. Skunks may use an old fox or
woodchuck burrow, or dig their own. Sometimes they den in a
hollow log or under a building. One of the chambers is
used as a nest, with the skunk adding dried leaves and
grass. Skunks mate in late
Winter or early Spring. A litter
may have four to seven young. About six weeks after they are
born, their mother will take them hunting. Skunks are well-known for
the way they defend themselves. They have a special gland in
their butts that sprays a foul-smelling liquid. The liquid
will cause great pain if it gets in an animal's (or
person's) eyes. It will also temporarily blind them and make
them nauseus (feel like throwing up). The spray is a type of
oil, so it is very hard to get off and will smell bad for a
long time. Skunks only spray as a
last resort. If threatened, a skunk will first face its
attacker, arch its tail, chatter its teeth, and stomp its
feet. If the threat does not go away, then the skunk will
turn around and spray. Skunks are not
camouflaged
by their fur since most animals don't mess with
them. Wildlife Services Image
Collection Wild
Encounters Striped Skunks only have
a few predators,
including: owls, hawks, and foxes. Skunks eat many kinds of
animal and vegetable foods, including: beetles,
grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars,
ants, bees, wasps, earthworms, milllipedes, centipedes,
crayfish, snails, slugs, salamanders, frogs, turtle eggs,
eggs of ground-nesting birds, mice, shrews, squirrels, young
rabbits, fish, small snakes, cherries, blackberries,
blueberries, grasses, nuts, and carrion. Striped Skunks will often
dig for their food, especially grubs (beetle larvae) and
mice.
Copyright, Dr. Lloyd Glenn Ingles, California Academy of Sciences