Mephitis mephitis

The striped skunk is a relatively popular animal in North American media. Their infamous for their defense mechanism, handstanding and pushing on the glands near their anus that squirt liquid at their attackers, forcing a stink that sticks on most predators and drives them away. In most media the liquid has been reinterpreted as gas, and thus skunks also have an association with farting. The smell is strong enough that when a skunk sprays in an area or is ran over, it permeates the entire area for hours on end. Not everyone thinks the smell is intolerable, including me. Does it smell bad? Yeah, but I've smelled way worse animals. It's just very pungent and strong. I don't want to smell it for as long as it lasts. But I can live with it.
== Variants ==
Many variants exist. Scientists currently recognize the following subspecies:
* Mephitis mephitis avia
* Mephitis mephitis elongata
* Mephitis mephitis estor
* Mephitis mephitis holzneri
* Mephitis mephitis hudsonica
* Mephitis mephitis major
* Mephitis mephitis mesomelas
* Mephitis mephitis mephitis
* Mephitis mephitis nigra
* Mephitis mephitis notata
* Mephitis mephitis occidentalis
* Mephitis mephitis spissigrada
* Mephitis mephitis varians
Something interesting that I noticed is that Wikipedia listed the common names for the skunks. This was an idea I had, but it looks like I didn't add it to my wolf pages like I thought I may have (though I haven't looked at each one). It's interesting how a lot of my ideas go for years resting and I do nothing about it, and then someone else takes it. It's like spirits themselves give it to other, more productive, humans. *le sigh*