Names . The species commonly found in Pennsylvania is the striped skunk. Skunks make a variety of sounds, including hisses, growls, squeals, soft coos and churrings. When it is colder, they prefer to remain in underground dens. The value of each pixel in the map is an estimate of the species probability of occurrence. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0; additional terms may apply. It is about the size of a house cat and has a potent musk that often overshadows the beauty of its glossy and durable fur. They develop quickly. 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. [7][2], The earliest fossil finds attributable to Mephitis were found in the Broadwater site in Nebraska, dating back to the early Pleistocene less than 1.8million years ago. This type of regulatory protection has been successful. Skunks are nocturnal solitary animals and forage and hunt in the evening. [4] The name "Alaska sable" was employed by furriers during the late 19th century. After three weeks, their scent glands become functional; at four weeks, their eyes open; and at about two months the young are weaned and ready to leave the den for nighttime hunting forays. The bobcat is an adaptable predator that inhabits wooded areas, as well as semi-desert, urban edge, forest edges and swampland environments. Its tail is black, fluffy, and long. One of the most notable characteristics of this animal is its defense system; striped skunks have the ability to spray a foul smelling fluid from two glands located near the base of the tail. Black coat with white stripe that begins on forehead and then divides in two. (218) 788-2694 This happens in early fall because skunks search for cubby holes to spend the winter. Skunks dig out bumblebee nests and scratch at the entrances of beehives, catching and eating any honeybees that fly out. Formerly a member of the weasel family (with mink, otter, fisher, marten), skunks have now been classified into their own family, "Mephitidae". & Verts, B. J. Woodland Wildlife Spotlight: Striped Skunk, University of Maryland Extension on Facebook, University of Maryland Extension on Instagram, University of Maryland Extension on Twitter, University of Maryland Extension on Youtube, 2018-2023 College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect, instructions for how to enable JavaScript in your web browser. Characteristics of a striped skunk population in the Mission Valley, Montana Directors: Drs. Striped skunks are typically docile mammals that tolerate humans in close proximity without showing aggression. The spotted skunk is able to use its strong feet and claws to climb trees. Length: Body--25 to 30 inches, tail--8 to 11 inches. New Hanover. One wildlife host that purportedly plays a role in the transmission of Chagas disease within the southern United States is the striped skunk . But the omnivorous striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis)New England's only native Until the early 1990s, Minnesota dominated regional harvest. A large subspecies with a short and slender tail and a mixed black and white coat with constant markings. Striped skunks reach reproductive maturity when they are 10 months old. Though . Other summer foods include spiders, toads, frogs, lizards, snakes, mice, chipmunks and the eggs of turtles and ground-nesting birds. Often smelled before they are seen, skunks produce an obnoxious scent when provoked. The average lifespan of striped skunks in the wild is 7 years. They typically use underground dens which can be in grassy banks, rocky crevices, or along fencerows, although sometimes they use aboveground dens including barns, woodpiles, haystacks, or rock or brush piles. Skunks are known to everyone by sight, smell, and reputation. Skunk fur is an important asset to the fur industry, with pelts with a greater percentage of black grading higher. Its scientific name, mephitis, in Latin means bad odor. [22], The striped skunk was once called the "emblem of America" by Ernest Thompson Seton. Gestation takes approximately two months, so that by May a female is caring for an average litter of five or six young. To one early 20th century naturalist, it was a mixture of perfume musk, essense of garlic, burning sulfur and sewer gas magnified a thousand times. Striped and spotted skunks, which are both found in Mississippi, are among the most common and widely distributed mammals in North America. Phylogeography of striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) in North America: Pleistocene dispersal and contemporary population structure. [13], The striped skunk is a stoutly-built, short-limbed animal with a small, conical head and a long, heavily furred tail. Skunks fill various roles in legends and may be featured as heroes, villains, tricksters, or monsters. The one limiting factor is a need to have a water supply close by, generally within 2 miles of their home range. They prefer open areas with a variety of habitats and inhabit particularly mixed woodlands, brushy corners, and open fields interspersed with wooded ravines and rocky outcrops. Skunks discharge their scent, or musk, through these nozzles, powering the stream with a strong hip muscle contraction. Weight: six to 14 pounds. Description. Males during this period will cover much ground in their search for females, sometimes covering 4km (2.5mi) per night. If threatened, a skunk drums its forefeet on the ground, snarls, arches its back and raises its tail. By the late Pleistocene (70,00014,500 years ago), the striped skunk was widely distributed throughout the southern United States, and it expanded northwards and westwards by the Holocene (10,0004,500 years ago) following the retreat of the Wisconsin glacier. [11] The latter name was originally used by English settlers, who noted the animal's similarity to the European polecat. Many a farmer arrived to pour the dregs of the milk strainer into the cat dish and found that one of the cats had a broad tail and a characteristic white "V" across its back. They will hunt with the mother for the first time around 7 weeks and weaning occurs at 8 weeks. Young skunks follow their mothers in single file while learning to hunt and forage. [11] Prior to the First World War, skunk pelts were primarily shipped to Europe until better methods of deodorizing and processing the skins lead to increased interest in selling them for North American consumption. From the late 1990s until present, North Dakota dominates regional harvest. In some cases, a secondary breeding period will occur in May in the event that the first litter was lost, or pseudopregnacny occurs. The striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis ) is a skunk of the genus Mephitis that occurs across much of North America, including southern Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. In fall and winter, skunks eat fruit such as wild grapes and cherries; small mammals such as moles, mice, voles and shrews; plant items such as grasses, leaves and buds; mast and carrion. Protection and promoting general public awareness of a species is a good way to secure its status. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today remain stable. The Striped skunk seems aware of how horrible its own odor is and will not spray in its own dens or in confined spaces. [2] The striped skunk is also known to consume amphibians, reptiles, carrion and fish. The striped skunk has been protected under the Environmental Conservation Law since the late 1800s. Cipriani, D. (2011) "Skunks are affectionate, intelligent pets for owners who offer the proper care.". 2012. (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,. PO Box 188 The Striped skunk can be recognized easily by its pattern and colors. Striped skunks can experience delayed implantation lasting up to 19 days. Tail length averaged 8.7 (221 mm), ranging from 6.3 to 11.4 (159-290 mm) in the Eastern United States, and ranged from 7.9 to 11.0 (200-280 mm) in Wisconsin. Moving a skunk in a box trap is easy if you cover the trap with a dark blanket so the animal can't see you. Here, we report the observation of tentative tool use in a wild striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis), captured by a trail camera in the front yard of a hobby naturalist who shared the photographs on social media. Their sense of touch, however, is acute. They also can get and spread rabies and other wildlife diseases. Skunks are capable of breeding in their first year. Some populations, particularly in northwestern Illinois, prefer cultivated areas over uncultivated ones. Coyotes, foxes, owls, bobcat and fisher will prey on skunks, and collisions with cars are a common cause of skunk deaths. Skunks are also popular characters in children's stories, comics and cartoons, most notably the Warner Bros character Pep Le Pew and the Disney character Flower of the 1942 animated film Bambi, their musky odor making them a source of fear and ostracization. Skunks molt yearly, beginning in April and ending in September. Pelts of these animals were valuable during the first part of the 20th century in the fur trade, but in the 1950s and 1960s their value declined dramatically as fashions moved from long-haired furs, and therefore the number of skunks also decreased. They prefer open areas, with abundant populations observed on agricultural lands. Population. 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. Skunks are vulnerable to a variety of internal and external parasites. Total length: 20 to 28 inches. They can weigh from 6 to 14 pounds. A study released in 2013 included a video of a Western spotted skunk handstanding and facing off with a mountain lion over a deer carcass. Although they are blind and unfurred, the pattern of their future black-and-white pelage shows on their pinkish, wrinkled skin. The first emerged from the Texas-Mexico region during the Rancholabrean before the Illinoian glaciation and colonized the southeastern United States. Skunks eat honeybees and wasps and often attack beehives. 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. The the striped skunk in Tennessee is the most commone and it occurs state-wide. Its numbers usually decline as abandoned fields and pastures become forested. Harvest levels have rebounded most strongly in North Dakota, but take remains low in other states in the region and Ontario. Skunks can be found throughout the Great Lakes region, with populations secure in all states and Ontario. Western Canada, from Manitoba to British Columbia; south in the United States to Colorado, Nebraska, and Minnesota. The females will retreat to the den to give birth. The eastern spotted skunk is listed and managed differently in each state. Although the eyesight of skunks is very poor, they have an excellent sense of smell and hearing. No children of Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) found. Habitat: Occurs around rocky, dense habitat, including fencerows, shrubby field borders, and farmland. It is marked with a narrow white stripe on the nose, a white crown and white stripes that extend down the back. 2. Community dens have been found containing 12 or more skunks, mostly females and young. 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. Skunk pelt prices may have doubled from about 1939 through the early 1940s, but they were never as valuable as red fox. [6], The striped skunk was first formally named by Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber as Viverra mephitis. [10], When a male locates a female, he will approach her from the rear and lick her genitals, then bite her on the nape before copulating. Eastern striped skunks are relatively common throughout the United States and can be found throughout Maryland. Make a donation to the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute today! Preferred foods are insects such as grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles; also eats bees, wasps, mice, lizards, snakes, crayfish, bird eggs, and mushrooms. They eat pests including potato bugs, tobacco worms and Japanese beetles. 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. There is a high mortality rate among skunks; many do not survive beyond their first year. Below, we have summarized the various classifications, monitoring, research, and contact information for each state alphabetically. Rabies outbreaks have affected populations in Illinois. In some states, like Florida, skunks may be killed only during a season, but harvests year-round are allowed in most states. NRRI Duluth[emailprotected] They are easily identifiable by the white stripe running from head to tail and each individual has a unique pattern of stripes. Musk can make a predator sick or, if the skunk has been able to direct the substance into the animals eyes, temporarily blind. 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