The
Pacific Northwest is home to two species of skunk--the striped skunk, Mephitis
mephitis, and the spotted skunk, Spilogale putorius. Skunks are heavy
bodied with short legs, triangular heads, and long, plume-like tails. They are
plantigrade, walking on the flat of the foot, rather than the toes. (Other mammals
with plantigrade limb posture include bears, hedgehogs, and humans.) Each foot
has five toes. The claws on the forefeet are longer and more curved than on
the hindfeet. The striped skunk can reach 32 inches in length, including tail,
and weigh up to nine pounds. The spotted skunk is much smaller in length, no
more than 18 inches, including tail, and is in general more agile and slender
than other skunks. The heaviest spotted skunks will weigh in at two pounds.
Striped skunks breed in late winter or early spring. After a two-month gestation
period they have litters with an average of four to five skunklets. Spotted
skunks in the western states have delayed implantation. The females breed in
September-October and about 30 days later the embryos become implanted. One
to five skunklets are born the following April or May.
The distribution of spots and stripes on a skunk's coat is distinctive enough
to be useful in identifying individuals. In particular, no spotted skunks have
ever been found with identical black and white pelage patterns. The striped
skunk is mostly black, with a white stripe on the nose. A white patch covers
the back of the head to the shoulders, where it splits into two white stripes.
These narrowly separated stripes extend along the back to the base of the tail.
Occasionally, the tail has a cluster of white hairs on the tip or white along
the sides. In addition to a blaze on the nose, the spotted skunk has a small
spot in front of each ear. There are four to six horizontal stripes along the
back and sides. The stripes may be broken into a rather haphazard pattern of
spots. The stripes closest to the spine continue along to the end of the tail,
where they join to form the white tip.
Skunks are found in brushy, rocky, or wooded habitat. They dig their own burrows
with their long front claws when necessary, but will make use of existing dens
made by other animals. They will also make dens in hollow trees or fallen logs,
rocky crevices, and in or around farm buildings. Striped skunks are sometimes
found along beaches, where they hole up in piles of driftwood or scratch shallow
dens in the sand. They also frequently live in underground dens in fencerows
near pasture or hay crops.
Skunks are nocturnal, active from dusk to dawn, sleeping during the day in
their dens. They will move from one den to another, reacting to availability
of food and perceived level of safety. Spotted skunks are quite playful with
each other, even as adults. They often live communally, with six to eight individuals
to a den. Striped skunks will occasionally share dens—more often in winter—but
are generally solitary animals.
Skunks have many small pads on the soles of their feet. It is thought that
these pads may explain the spotted skunks' tree-climbing ability. Skunks are
opportunistic foragers, mainly subsisting on insects and rodents, but happy
to find eggs, baby birds, and various fruits and vegetables. Toads and some
caterpillars are rolled on the ground before consuming to remove skin toxins
or spines. Skunks have been seen to open eggs in a mongoose-like fashion. They
pass the egg under the body from front to hind feet, and then propel the egg,
with a kick of the hind legs, against a hard surface.
Skunks are notorious for their primary protective behavior. When faced with
potentially mortal danger, a skunk can spray musk from its anal glands with
great accuracy to a distance of six feet for the spotted skunk and 15 feet for
the striped skunk. The substance it squirts towards its enemies is extremely
noxious, causing gagging and temporary vision loss. The perceived enemy either
flees, or is disabled long enough for the skunk to escape. The skunk will act
out some warning behaviors before spraying. First the tail is raised and bristled
and the back arched. If the threat is not removed, the skunk will stamp its
feet on the ground, producing a very audible warning. It is very common, at
this point, for the spotted skunk to perform a handstand, lifting its hind feet
straight up and dropping its tail, with white tip flared dramatically, to just
over its head. Striped skunks will occasionally adopt this posture. If the threat
persists, the skunk will twist its body into a horseshoe shape, so both its
head and its scent glands face the pursuer, and spray. The spotted skunk is
reported to have a more pungent musk than the striped skunk.
The
Pacific Northwest is home to two species of skunk--the striped skunk, Mephitis
mephitis, and the spotted skunk, Spilogale putorius. Skunks are heavy
bodied with short legs, triangular heads, and long, plume-like tails. They are
plantigrade, walking on the flat of the foot, rather than the toes. (Other mammals
with plantigrade limb posture include bears, hedgehogs, and humans.) Each foot
has five toes. The claws on the forefeet are longer and more curved than on
the hindfeet. The striped skunk can reach 32 inches in length, including tail,
and weigh up to nine pounds. The spotted skunk is much smaller in length, no
more than 18 inches, including tail, and is in general more agile and slender
than other skunks. The heaviest spotted skunks will weigh in at two pounds.