Family: Mephitidae, Skunks view all from this family
Description Typically black with 2 broad white stripes on back meeting in cap on head and shoulders; thin white stripe down center of face. Bushy black tail, often with white tip or fringe. Species coloration varies from mostly black to mostly white. Male larger than female. L 20 –31" (522–800 mm); T 7 1/4 –15 1/2" (184–393 mm); HF 2 1/4 –3 1/2" (57–90 mm); Wt 6–14 lb (2.7–6.3 kg).
Warning The Striped Skunk is currently the chief carrier of rabies in the U.S. Unusual behavior can be a sign that the animal is infected. As skunks are usually out at night, one active in the daytime could well be rabid. All skunks are highly developed for defense and can spray their foul-smelling musk distances of up to 15 feet. Besides its overpowering odor, the musk can burn the eyes and cause momentary loss of vision. Sudden movement, noise, or a close approach can trigger the spray, and the Striped Skunk can spray even when held aloft by the tail. Ammonia or tomato juice can be used to remove the odor; carbolic soap and water are best for washing skin.
Similar Species Common Hog-nosed Skunk has white back and tail, snout naked on top, and no white facial stripe. Hooded Skunk has longer tail and is usually mostly black with narrow white stripes (in white-backed phase, black hairs are interspersed).
Breeding Mates February–April; implantation delayed about 19 days; total gestation 62–66 days. Litter of 4–7 young born in mid-May; young are blind at birth, their very fine hair clearly marked with black-and-white pattern.
Habitat Desert, woodlands, grassy plains, and suburbs.
Range Most of U.S.; s tier of Canadian provinces.
Discussion Whereas most mammals have evolved coloration that blends with their environment, the Striped Skunk, like other skunks, is boldly colored, advertising to potential enemies that it is not to be bothered. Its anal glands hold about a tablespoon of a fetid, oily, yellowish musk, enough for five or six jets of spray—although one is usually enough. When threatened, the Striped Skunk will face the intruder, arch and elevate its tail, erect the tail hairs, chatter its teeth, and stomp the ground with the front feet. This usually causes the intruder to retreat, but if it remains, the skunk will twist its back around, raise its tail straight up, evert its anal nipples, and spray scent 10 to 15 feet (3–5 m). The mist may reach three times as far, and the smell may carry a mile. Spray in the eyes causes intense pain and fleeting loss of vision.
The Striped Skunk is primarily nocturnal and does not hibernate, although during extremely cold weather it may become temporarily dormant. The animal’s temperature drops only from about 98.6º to 87.8º F (37º to 31º C), rather than down to the temperature of its den.
The Striped Skunk is an omnivore, feeding heavily on a wide variety of animal food in spring and summer, including insects and grubs, small mammals, the eggs of ground-nesting birds, and amphibians. Some of the more important invertebrate foods consumed are beetles and their larvae, grasshoppers and crickets, earthworms, butterfly and moth larvae, spiders, snails, ants, bees and wasps, and crayfish. This skunk eats fruits in season, such as wild cherries, ground cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and many others. In the fall, the animal gorges itself to fatten up in preparation for the lean winter months.
The Striped Skunk usually dens in a burrow that has been abandoned by another animal, although it may also dig its own or use a protected place, such as a hollow log, crevice, or the space beneath a building. Maternal and wintertime dens are underground; other dens are often aboveground. The young are weaned at six to seven weeks, at which time their scent has developed but is not yet very potent. Mother and offspring begin to hunt together at about this time. A mother skunk is fiercely protective of her young, and at the approach of an intruder she will posture and spray if necessary. The procession of a mother skunk followed by her young in single file is an amusing sight. The skunk is not a social animal, although in winter several skunks will sometimes occupy one den.
The only serious predator of the skunk is the great horned owl. Mothballs sprinkled on the ground discourage skunks from digging up lawns for insects and visiting homes or campsites, since they and many other small animals are repelled by the smell of camphor. Pelts of the Striped Skunk are not highly valued, but the musk, once its odor is removed, is used as a perfume base because of its clinging quality.
