Back to Blog
Skunk species7/7/2023 ![]() ![]() The spotted skunk is the only one able to climb trees, which expands its foraging opportunities. They retire underground for as many as several days at a time during cold winter storms. Although they don’t hibernate, skunks gain extra weight in the fall, which tides them over the lean times during the winter. Their dens don’t smell like skunk spray, but do have a distinctive, strong, musky odor. Skunks sometimes build their own dens, but often share the dens of other animals, particularly pack rats, or make use of other suitable sites such as brush piles, hollow logs, boulder piles, mine shafts, or underneath buildings. None of the skunks are common in the low, dry flats. Skunks live in a variety of habitats from riparian canyons and wooded areas to Arizona uplands and suburbs. Call Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control at 1-88 to help identify skunks on your property or to safely remove any that have gotten too close for comfort.Skunks are nocturnal omnivores that eat anything including beetles, grubs, grasshoppers rodents, birds, carrion, seeds, and fruit.Īccording to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, However, you do not want any type of skunk digging under your porch and raising a family there. All skunks are gentle creatures that benefit nature and society by controlling insect populations. Much is yet to be discovered regarding their habits. They share many characteristics with other skunks but differ in being diurnal and in using their anal glands to mark vegetation. Before 1990, the Sunda stink badger ( Mydaus javanensis ) of Indonesia and Palawan stink badger ( Mydaus marchei ) of the Philippines were considered close relatives of actual badgers, but recent DNA evidence has identified their true skunk family roots. Stink badgers have only recently been welcomed into the skunk family. The North American hog-nosed skunk ( Conepatus leuconotus ) can be found in the southwestern U.S., and the other three species-striped ( Conepatus semistriatus ), Molina's ( Conepatus chinga ), and Humboldt's ( Conepatus humboldtii ) hog-nosed skunks-are common in Central and South America. When startled, they do a side-stepping movement before turning their back ends around to spray. Their snouts help them root for food in a variety of habitats. ![]() They inhabit rocky areas of southwestern North and Central America, constructing burrows near streams where they can be seen pouncing on insects.Īlthough the naked pink snout of a hog-nosed skunk resembles that of a pig, their furry bodies look definitively skunk-like, with two white stripes extending down their black backs. Some individuals exhibit the reverse color pattern or are entirely black, but all have the same long hood for which they are named. Their black faces are framed by a shaggy white mane that covers the tops of their heads, bodies, and silky tails. Similar in size to the striped skunk, hooded skunks differ in hairdo, giving a first impression of an ungroomed Pekingese dog. The pygmy spotted skunk ( Spilogale pygmaea ) of Mexico's west coast is about the size of a rat, and is by far the smallest and rarest skunk species. The southern Spilogale angustifrons and western Spilogale gracilis spotted skunks live farther to the south and west. It prefers forests with a dense understory and is therefore observed infrequently. and rarely in southern Canada and northern Mexico. These squirrel-sized skunks regularly climb trees and are best known for their endearing trick of balancing on front paws to do a handstand when frightened. The eastern spotted skunk ( Spilogale putorius ) lives in the eastern U.S. Spotted skunks, true to their names, have three white spots on their faces and four on their backsides, as well as six stripes on the tail. When threatened, they stomp their paws, make their bodies into a u-shape, and can spray an oily substance from two anal glands. The pattern can vary, with some individuals being almost completely black and others mostly white. Striped skunks coexist with humans in suburban areas and can be spotted ambling along roadsides at night. They are the size of house cats with a white stripe down the middle of a long black tail. Striped skunks are the most familiar species. While skunks are common in many areas of Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, most people don't realize that there are actually five separate species of skunks around the world. In fact, residents of North and South America, Indonesia, and the Philippines are the only people with a chance of seeing one in the wild, because these are the only places skunks call home. Most people in the world have never seen a skunk. ![]()
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |