Skunk Facts
Skunk Facts
2. The subspecies Mephitis mephitis elongate is found in North Carolina. This name comes from the Latin word meaning "bad odor".
3. Today, the skunk is best known as the butt of jokes and cartoons because of its unpleasant odor. The skunk was also the subject of many Indian superstitions and myths. One explanation for the city of Chicago’s name is that it is named after an Indian word meaning “the place-of-the-skunk.” The name may be related to a Native American legend that told of a giant skunk being killed on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. The natives used the skunk for food and medicine.
4. The striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) is a highly adaptable animal that can be found in a wide variety of habitats, from open fields to urban areas. It is well known for its ability to spray an unpleasant scent to ward off potential threats.
5. The striped skunk is about the size of a house cat, reaching a length of 25 to 32 inches and weighing between three and fourteen pounds.
6. The male is generally larger than the female. It has small, beady black eyes, a pointed nose, and a bushy tail but its most distinctive feature is its coloration. Its coat is uniformly black with a broad white stripe running down its back. The stripe is a single line at the skunk's head, but splits into two as it continues down the back to its tail, forming a V in appearance.
7. This coloration is thought to be a warning to other animals. Animals that ignore this warning run the risk of being sprayed. The scent glands are located at the base of the tail, so when the skunk is preparing to spray, it will raise its tail straight up in the air and begin making a hissing sound. Besides the strong odor, the spray can temporarily blind an attacker by making its eyes water. Skunk musk also can cause an intense fear in the victim which may be triggered in later years by a musky odor. It is capable of spraying at distances of 15 feet.
8. The striped skunk is an omnivore, eating both plants and animals. It is an opportunist by nature, depending on the season and food availability. Its diet includes insects, beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, small mammals, birds, eggs, vegetation and garbage. The striped skunk's willingness to eat garbage has allowed it to spread into towns and cities.
9. Striped skunks are most active from sunset to sunrise, thus they are considered to be both crepuscular and nocturnal.
10. The striped skunk seems to be aware of the repulsiveness of its own odor-it will not spray in confined spaces and or in their own dens.
11. Attached to its semi-webbed toes, it has long straight claws that help it rip apart trees and shrubs for food and help it dig dens for shelter.
12. A skunk’s eyesight is very poor and their awareness of their surroundings is limited. By nature, skunks are placid and sluggish. They move slowly, walking, slow trot or gallop. They have an acute sense of touch. Their sight is fair.
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ReplyDelete> A skunk’s eyesight is very poor and
ReplyDelete> their awareness of their surroundings
> is limited.
This is very well put, and VERY accurate. In the past week alone, as I sat at a wooden picnic bench by myself at night, on two occasions I had a skunk foraging around for food, basically at my feet, completely unaware I was there. On both occasions I thought "come on, no way does he NOT know I'm there, he's probably just learned not to be afraid of people who aren't moving around or making any noise" . . . so on both occasions I "tested" that, by moving in a non-threatening way and making a BIT of noise . . . and on both occasions, I understood from his startled reaction (suddenly turning towards me with his tail elevated, frozen in place for a few seconds, then turning and scooting away in the other direction) that, no indeed, he did NOT know I was there.
When he runs away like that he runs FAR, too (lol), doesn't stop, just keeps going as far as I can see. :)