Family: Mephitidae, Skunks view all from this family

Description A small skunk. Black, with horizontal white stripes on neck and shoulders; irregular vertical stripes and elongated spots on sides. White spots on top of head, between eyes. Tail has white tip. L 13 5/8–18 3/4" (345–473 mm); T 4 1/4 –7" (110–178 mm); HF 1 1/2 –2 1/8" (37–55 mm); Wt 1–1 1/2 lb (2.2–3.3 kg).

Warning 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.

Similar Species Eastern Spotted Skunk is best distinguished by range. Other skunks are larger, with horizontal stripes or bands only.

Breeding Mates late September– October (as early as July in southern parts of its range); implantation delayed until around March, followed by 50–60 days of development. Female first mates at 4–5 months of age.

Habitat Mixed woodlands and open areas, scrub, and farmland.

Range From sw British Columbia, Idaho, and sw Wyoming south to Mexico and w Texas.

Discussion The closely related and similarly patterned Eastern and Western Spotted skunks have alternately been considered the same and separate species by different mammalogists. The two do not occur together over much of their ranges. They overlap geographically, apparently without interbreeding, in Wyoming and perhaps in Oklahoma, but their relationship in other areas is unknown. If they are capable of interbreeding, the two would likely be treated as separate subspecies of a single species.