The skunk connection in these genres may be due to the term "funk" being a term for strong odor. The Striped Skunk. This striped skunk caught a vole. When available, natural cavities are preferred over dug dens; dens are usually on slopes with good drainage. Captive breeding of skunks proved relatively simple when compared to mink and marten farming, as skunks are easier to tame and have less specialized dietary needs. It is found all across the state. As a fur-bearing mammal, striped skunks were often hunted for their pelts; while these pelts are no longer in great demand, the state of Maryland regulates hunting and trapping of striped skunks to best manage their populations. Where To Find Alabama Arkansas Colorado Florida Georgia Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska The striped skunk ( Mephitis mephitis) is a distinctive member of Indiana's wildlife community. Due to their diet, Striped skunks may affect insect populations in their range. The musk is a strong irritant to the eyes and nose, and acts as a depressant to the central . While the mammals have adapted to a wide range of environments, they prefer habitat with a variety of woodlands and open fields, which means they can also be found in both rural and suburban settings. That describes North America's most common skunk, the striped skunk, but they also have smaller, spotted cousins. Likewise for a homeowner or nuisance wildlife control agent who finds a skunk in the box trap set in the backyard. Skunks are armed with a potent defensive weapon: a pair of large scent glands found beneath the skin on either side of the rectum. There is Although they are blind and unfurred, the pattern of their future black-and-white pelage shows on their pinkish, wrinkled skin. Large, bushy black and white tail. Male striped skunks breed with multiple females, and are rejected by the females after mating occurs. The skunk's best known feature is its ability to squirt an extremely potent and disagreeable secretion at potential attackers. Skunks are known to everyone by sight, smell, and reputation. Size : Total length: 20-30 inches; tail length: 7-15 inches; weight: 2-11 pounds. Striped skunks are opportunistic omnivores, with a diet that varies with what is available. [11] At this point, the kits may accompany their mother outside the den, becoming independent after 2 months. Written by Jason Dahl, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point student. In colder weather, they may eat voles, young birds, or bird eggs. They travel widely in search of mates and breed with several females if possible. Most skunks live two to three years in the wild; in captivity, they have lived 10 years. The newborns are blind and deaf, and wont open their eyes for about three weeks. The central chamber is lined with dry grass and leaves. Skunks have been the most commonly confirmed rabies species, other than raccoons, during the spread of raccoon rabies throughout Southern New York. The eastern spotted skunk, also known as the civet cat, reaches its northernmost limit in the northcentral United States. The tail is bushy and black and usually has a white tip. The striped skunk is a black and white mammal about the size of a house cat. Preferred foods are insects such as grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles; also eats bees, wasps, mice, lizards, snakes, crayfish, bird eggs, and mushrooms. The most frequently consumed insects include grasshoppers, beetles, crickets, caterpillars, other insect larvae and bees. A single male may have a harem of several females, which he mates with and defends against other males for a period of about 35 days. One of the most common skunk complaints, a strong odor of skunk essence during the nights of early fall, often is the result of inadequate home maintenance and of allowing dogs to roam free at night. [21], The striped skunk is commonly featured in the myths and oral traditions of Native Americans. Skunk fur is an important asset to the fur industry, with pelts with a greater percentage of black grading higher. Striped skunks have black fur with a wide, white stripe from the head all the way down the back on the body. Juvenile skunks are capable of spraying at 8 days old, around two weeks before their eyes open. The most common skunks in North America, striped skunks are terrestrial animals that can survive in a variety of habitats and land types. [10], The color patterns of the fur vary greatly, but generally consist of a black base with a white stripe extending from the head which divides along the shoulders, continuing along the flanks to the rump and tail. Skunks do not hibernate, although they may remain dormant underground all winter. 0 inches Regularity. Reduce, reuse and recycle in that order! I. J. Great variation in color pattern and size of stripes. Keystone State. Size: 18-32 inches long; up to 8 lbs. Young are born blind, with eyes opening between 2-4 weeks of age. Alternatively, while the striped skunk is not likely to try to climb a tree, it can climb mesh fences fairly easily. After a gestation period of 59 to 77 days, a litter of two to ten skunks is born. They eat pests including potato bugs, tobacco worms and Japanese beetles. Striped skunk is ideally suited for this purpose because the white hairs of the pelt become a uniform, glossy black when dyed. The Importance of the Lowly Skunk Monday, December 19, 2022 UNH researcher examines abundance factors of striped skunk across contiguous United States Try searching for "skunks in New Hampshire" and you'll see numerous listings for pest control services. Since 1996, spotted skunks have been classified as threatened in Minnesota, and any sightings should be reported to Minnesota DNR. Below, we have summarized the various classifications, monitoring, research, and contact information for each state alphabetically. Washington, DC 20008. After 60 days gestation, she bears 2 to 10 young (usually 5 to 7). Spraying typically takes place after a warning display, where the skunk stomps its feet and arches its back, at the same time raising its tail. Eastern spotted skunk Cut back on single-use goods, and find creative ways to reuse products at the end of their life cycle. Skunks have small heads, with small eyes and ears and a pointed nose. Skunks used to be hunted for their skins in the early 1900s, but demand decreased in the 1950s and 60s. The population of both Striped and Spotted Skunks is very unstable and subject to violent fluctuations in any given area" (Reports from 1951:17). The striped skunk is actually a very successful species, with a range that occupies a large portion of North America, including southern Canada, northern Mexico, and most of the United States. Conservation Ranks. [5], The striped skunk was regularly eaten by trappers and indigenous peoples, provided the animal was not too old or had not sprayed before being killed. Males are, on average, 15 percent larger and heavier than females. It is also seenor its musky odor noticedin some suburban and urban locations, particularly near sources of open water. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today remain stable. Fruits, nuts, carrion, garbage, invertebrates, eggs, small mammals, amphibians, and reptiles can all be taken, but insects usually represent the majority of their diet. Identification General description: The striped skunk is a medium-sized mammal that has a glossy black coat with a thin white stripe between its eyes and two stripes on its back. The size of a skunk's home range will vary based on the amount of food and shelter available in the area. Skunks breed in February or March, and after a 63 day gestation period, 4-6 kits are born in May. [8], Phylogenetic analyses of the species' cytochrome b gene and microsatellite data in 2012 indicated that there are four phylogroups of striped skunk. Two subsequent subclades were formed during the Sangamonian interglacial on either side of the Sierra Nevada. For the Muscogee people, the skunk represented family loyalty and defense of loved ones. Striped skunks live throughout North America from southern Canada into northern Mexico. Docile in nature, they are famous for their defense system of a bad-smelling spray that comes from two glands near the base of their tail. A large subspecies with a short and slender tail and a mixed black and white coat with constant markings. No children of Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) found. Despite their unique system of defense, they are eaten, chiefly by great horned owls but also by eagles, crows, vultures, coyotes, foxes, dogs, bobcats, mountain lions, American badgers, and even humans. Regularly occurring. Mephitis memphitis has proven highly adaptable. Worldwide,Mephitis mephitisis restricted to North America. [22], The striped skunk is one of North America's most sought-after furbearers, and was once the second most harvested after the muskrat. At birth, striped skunks weigh less than an ounce. Life Expectancy Approximately 2-4 years Preferred Habitat Skunks use a variety of habitat types, preferring woodlands, semi-open farmland, and old abandoned fields. Skunks often leave holes in the ground where they forage for insects or tear apart ground nests of small animals. The striped skunk is a medium sized carnivorous mustelid ranging from 520 to 770 mm total length and weighing between 1.8 and 4.5 kg ( Valdez-Villavicenio et al., 2014 ). Skunks forage at night or at dawn for a variety of foods including berries, grasses, nuts, and other vegetable material, as well as worms, insects, grubs and the nestlings of birds, mice and cottontail rabbits. Threats to striped skunks include severe weather, naturally occurring predation and disease, exposure to chemicals and other human activities. Skunk spray can travel up to 10 feet (though odor can be detected further away), and when striped skunks and hooded skunks take aim, they are amazingly accurate. Damaged building foundations and spaces underneath porches serve this purpose well. They den in ground burrows, stumps, wood and rock piles, overhanging creek banks and beneath buildings. Some populations, particularly in northwestern Illinois, prefer cultivated areas over uncultivated ones. These polka-dotted relatives are smaller, about the size of a fat squirrel, and do impressive handstands to warn predators before they launch their stinky spray. These grades are further subdivided in value according to their locality, with the most valuable occurring in northern regions, where the fur is finer and darker. It typically has a broad patch on the back of its head, and a V-shaped mark over its shoulders, which forms stripes that continue along the animals back and often unite at the base of its tail. They have a long, bushy tail made up of white and black hairs. Widespread, it is found in suitable habitat from sea level to timberline in all 48 contiguous states, southern Canada, and northern Mexico. They can weigh from 6 to 14 pounds. Frequently they leave evidence of their feeding: small, cone-shaped holes in the soil, pine needles, leaf duff or suburban lawns mark where they have dug for grubs. The breeding season is from February to April, and females typically give birth once a year. Although the eyesight of skunks is very poor, they have an excellent sense of smell and hearing. (The seventh spotted skunk species, Spilogale yucatanensis, is a bit of a weirdo, being native to Mexico's Yucatn Peninsula but sharing the closest evolutionary relationship with S. putorius,. Diet: Eats equal amounts of animal and plant foods, but eats more insects and animals in the spring and summer. The Striped skunk is similar in size to a normal house cat with a stout body, short legs, small head and a bushy tail. [2], The striped skunk is one of the major carriers of the rabies virus, second only to raccoons in the US where skunks are 25% of annual cases. About the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Two New Striped Skunks Make Debut At Small Mammal House, A Quack-filled Roll Call: Meet the Ducks of the Bird House, #CheetahCubdate 7: How to Enrich and Train Cheetahs, New at the Zoo: Meet Our Gray Seal, Jo-Jo. They often live in the abandoned dens of other mammals during the day, or take up residence in hollowed logs, brush piles or underneath buildings. If cornered, the striped skunk will turn and confront its opponent, arching its back and displaying its long and bushy tail to make itself appear larger, followed by stamping its feet. They are found in every county of Ohio as well as throughout the United States. The blind newborns are furless, but have the black and white color pattern on their skin. Male total length ranged from 24.8 to 29.9 (630-760 mm) in Minnesota, and female total length ranged from 21.2 to 25.6 (540-650 mm) in Minnesota. There is a high mortality rate among skunks; many do not survive beyond their first year. While the species plays an important role in insect control through its diet, the striped skunks reputation among humans is often based on its digging behavior, in search of food in lawns and gardens, and on its odoriferous interaction with curious dogs. In G. Feldhamer, B. Thompson, & J. Chapman (Eds., 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41635A45211301.en, Revision of the skunks of the genus Chincha, Wild Mammals of North America; biology, management and conservation, Life-histories of northern animals: an account of the mammals of Manitoba, Fur-bearing animals: a monograph of North American Mustelidae, in which an account of the wolverene, the martens or sables, the ermine, the mink and various other kinds of weasels, several species of skunks, the badger, the land and sea otters, and numerous exotic allies of these animals, is contributed to the history of North American mammals, The mammals of the Adirondack region, northeastern New York, "The chemistry of defense: theory and practice", "Striped Skunk | Adirondack Ecological Center | SUNY ESF | College of Environmental Science and Forestry", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Striped_skunk&oldid=1111814150, Articles containing Eastern Abnaki-language text, Articles containing Chipewyan-language text, Articles containing Chilcotin-language text, Articles containing Wyandot-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. 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