Skunks live in small groups, often sharing a burrow with the species that dug it, such as a fox or a raccoon. Of all the animals that have warning coloration, the striped skunk s easily recognized white stripe makes it one of the most successful at deterring its predators. Its marking serves as a warning to intruders that they will be sprayed with foul smelling fluid if they do not retreat. Striped skunks spend the day in small groups, sleeping in dens that they dig themselves or borrow from other animal species. At dusk, the skunks emerge from their dens to forage for food.
Skunks deter enemies by spraying a very offensive smelling fluid.
It can cause temporary blindness, but its main purpose is to stop the intruder from breathing for a few seconds while the skunk escapes. Striped skunks are meat eaters, feeding mainly on large insects, such as crickets and grasshoppers, and on small mammals. They also forage in the soil and among dead leaves, using their long front claws to dig up beetle grubs, earthworms, roots and fungi. Striped skunks also eat nuts, fallen fruit, and the eggs of ground nesting birds. The breeding season for the striped skunk is February and March.