Skunks
Skunks are small to medium-sized mammals belonging to the weasel family, Mustelidae, which includes badgers, weasels, and otters. They inhabit regions in southern Canada, the United States, Mexico, and Central America, and are known for their distinctive black fur marked by white stripes or patches. Skunks possess a robust build, with long, bushy tails and a keen sense of smell. They are primarily nocturnal and have a varied diet that includes insects, small mammals, and birds, often benefiting agricultural practices by controlling pest populations.
One of the most notable characteristics of skunks is their ability to spray a foul-smelling musk from glands near their anus, which serves as a defense mechanism against predators. Their musk can be sprayed with accuracy and remains potent for weeks, deterring most threats. There are several species of skunks, including striped, hog-nosed, and spotted skunks, each exhibiting different physical traits and habitat preferences. Skunks typically live in dens, either digging their own or occupying those left by other animals.
In terms of reproduction, skunks mate in the early spring, and after a gestation period of a few months, females give birth to several young. Skunks are also gaining popularity as pets, particularly when "destunked" through a surgical procedure, due to their friendly nature and manageable size. However, the fur of wild skunks, while beautiful, has limited commercial value. Overall, skunks play a unique role in their ecosystems and are intriguing creatures worthy of further exploration.
Skunks
Skunk Facts
Classification:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
- Phylum: Chordata
- Subphylum: Vertebrata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Carnivora
- Superfamily: Mustelidae
- Family: Mephitidae
- Genus and species: Four genera and twelve species, includingMephitis mephitis (striped skunk),Mephitis macroura (hooded skunk);Spilogale angustifrons (southern spotted skunk),Spilogale gracilis (western spotted skunk),Spilogale putorius (eastern spotted skunk),Spilogale pygmaea (pygmy spotted skunk);Mydaus javanensis (Sunda stink badger),Mydaus marchei (Palawan stink badger);Conepatus semistriatus (striped hog-nosed skunk),Conepatus leuconotus (American hog-nosed skunk
- Geographical location: The United States, Mexico, southern Canada, and Central America
- Habitat: Rocky crevices or hollow trees; may live in the suburbs, where they make dens in burrows or under buildings or sheds
- Gestational period: Seven to ten weeks
- Life span: Up to seven years in the wild, ten years in captivity
- Special anatomy: Musk-secreting perineal glands; long, very bushy tails
Skunks belong to the weasel family (Mustelidae), which also contains badgers, weasels, ferrets, and otters. They form four mustelid genera found in southern Canada, throughout the United States, in Mexico, and in Central America. The average skunk is sturdily built and cat-sized. It has a long, pointed nose or a hoglike nose, an arched back, and short legs. Skunk fur is long, soft, shiny, and black with wide, white stripes down the back. Stripe patterns differ among skunk species. Many skunks also have white forehead patches. Skunk tails are long, bushy, and usually black on top and white underneath.
Skunks live in hollow trees, burrows, or under sheds when dwelling among humans. They eat insects, mice, gophers, reptiles, squirrels, birds, and eggs. They help farmers by killing other animals that eat or prey upon agricultural products. Skunks are best known for their vile-smelling musk, originating in perineal glands on either side of the anus. When frightened, a skunk squirts out this fluid with considerable force. The musk’s vile odor usually keeps enemies away. A human or animal sprayed with the fluid smells bad for weeks. For this reason, most people and animals learn not to attack skunks. One predator of skunks is the great horned owl, unaffected by the musk.
Physical Characteristics of Skunks
Striped or common skunks live in small groups in underground dens in pastures, meadows, and fields. They eat insects, gophers, reptiles, squirrels, birds, grubs, and eggs. These skunks are nocturnal hunters. They either dig their own dens or use those vacated by other animals. Striped skunks are the largest skunks, reaching body-to-tail lengths of 3.5 feet and weights of five pounds. Their coats are glossy and black, with two wide, white stripes running from head top to tail tip. They spray musk in self-defense up to 6.5 feet. The musk hurts the eyes of predators and its vile odor lingers for many days.
Another type of skunk is the hog-nosed skunk. There are seven hog-nosed skunk species. They differ in habitat from striped skunks, living in rocky areas and inhabiting rocky crevices. They have sharp claws for digging hard, rocky soil. Hog-nosed skunks are two feet long from nose to tail tip and weigh about 3.5 pounds. Their glossy black coats have a white head-to-tail stripe. Unlike other skunks, they lack white stripes down the middle of the face and their tails are all white. Their long, bare snouts look like pig snouts, hence the name. Hog-nosed skunks are nocturnal and eat the same food as striped skunks.
Spotted skunks differ from striped and hog-nosed varieties in having four to six broken stripes or spots in different patterns on body and tail. Some dig burrows; others live in rock crevices. They are much smaller than other skunks, being only 1.25 feet long from nose to tail tip and weighing only one pound. Spotted skunks are like other skunks in nocturnal predation and diet.
The Life Cycle of Skunks
Striped and hog-nosed skunks mate during February and March in dens lined with grass and leaves. Males do not help raise young and live alone during the summer. Gestation lasts 2 to 3.5 months and a female gives birth to between two and ten babies, depending on species. The babies initially weigh about an ounce and can spray musk before they can walk. They are nursed for 1.5 months and then follow their mother around, learning to hunt. At six months old, they strike off on their own. These skunks can mate when they are eleven months old and can live for six to seven years in the wild and ten years in captivity.
Mating of eastern, southern, and pygmy spotted skunks occurs in the usual February to March period, but gestation is only five weeks. In contrast, western spotted skunks mate in the late summer. Females of all four spotted skunk species give birth to two to six babies. Nursing and life spans are the same as for hog-nosed and striped skunks.
Skunk Fur and Skunk Pets
Wild skunks produce a valuable fur, but skunk farming is not profitable because of the low prices paid for each small pelt. However, skunk fur is beautiful. Coats made of this fur were once sold as “black marten,” but are now sold under their real name due to federal regulations. Buyers like skunk fur for its appearance and durability compared to most other furs. Skunks, often “destunk” by surgical removal of perineal glands, have some popularity as pets because they are attractive, friendly, and cat-sized.
Principal Terms
gestation: the term of pregnancy
musk: vile-smelling liquids that skunks use for self-defense
nocturnal: occurring at night
perineal: located between scrotum and anus in males or the equivalent region in females
Bibliography
Blassingame, Wyatt. Skunks. New York: Putnam, 1981. Print.
Chitty, John. "Skunks: General Care And Health Concerns." Companion Animal 20.8 (2015): 472-78. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.
Lepthein, Emilie U. Skunks. Chicago: Children’s, 1993. Print.
Miller, Alyce. Skunk. London: Reaktion, 2015. Print.
Verts, B. J. The Biology of the Striped Skunk. Urbana: U of Illinois P, 1967. Print.
Wilson, Don, and Sue Raff, eds. The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Inst., 1999. Print..