Striped Skunk

Striped Skunks, *Mephitis mephitis,* are the most common skunks in North America and range across southern Canada and the United States down to the northern border of Mexico. Their natural habitat is open areas or open areas bordered by forests, grasslands, and agricultural lands. So, it’s no surprise that urban yards present an enticing opportunity to them—lots of clipped grass dotted with islands and borders of shade trees and shrubs. And, it’s important to know that skunks play a beneficial role there as predators of pests, such as grubs, snails, and slugs, as well as beetles, wasps, ants, millipedes, centipedes, small snakes, mice, and rats, among others. They have a triangle-shaped head with a black nose and short ears. Their hair is black, with two broad, white stripes running from the back of the head to the tail. A thin white stripe runs from their forehead to their nose. Their tail is a bushy mixture of black and white hairs. The stark contrast between their white stripes and black body is very noticeable and sends a warning to predators to stay away. Their legs are short, and their feet have long, curved, strong claws—especially the front ones, which they use for digging. Skunks have rather poor vision, with objects going fuzzy about 10 feet away (3 m). Their smelling and hearing are poor, too, but their sense of touch is reportedly excellent. Striped Skunks are very smart. That’s what owners of pet skunks say, and research backs them up. They learn quickly and have a good memory. Their owners describe them as determined, curious, and so ingenious that baby-locks sometimes have to be put on cupboards and drawers to keep them out. Some can even open refrigerators. They can be litter box trained, they’re friendly, playful, bond with their human companions, and like to cuddle.  In the fall, skunks begin packing on fat. The extra fat allows them to stay in their dens for days or weeks at a time in the winter, only occasionally waking up to go foraging. They spend the winter in a state of “sleep” called torpor, where their body temperature and metabolism rate go down, but it isn’t as deep as true hibernation. Striped Skunks reach the lowest torpid body temperature of all carnivores, dropping from 98.6°F to 78.8°F (37°C to 26°C). Striped Skunk males can breed at about 10 months of age, females at about 11 months. Late-winter to early-spring is mating season. Males go their way afterward and don’t participate in the rearing of their offspring.

Females give birth about two months later, typically to five to seven babies, although 10 are possible. At birth, the kits weigh about one ounce (28.3 gm) and are blind, deaf, scantily furred and have barely detectable white stripes. At eight days they begin producing musk, at about three weeks, their eyes open, and at six weeks they start hunting with their mother. She teaches them all her skills: how to dig up grubs and extract larvae from logs, how to raid beehives and locate rodents, root around for eggs and insects, sample through garbage for edibles, and more.

Sometimes a mother will be seen with her kits waddling single file behind her, out for a stroll, small identical versions. They look adorable, but this is one time a skunk is not to be messed with—very protective of her young, the mother might forego her usual warning and immediately spray.

The playful and curious kits are nearly full grown at eight weeks. They’re fully weaned and independent by then, but often stay with their mother over the winter. In the spring, the young males usually wander to a different area, while females tend to remain in close proximity to their mother. Dispersed skunks from the same litter who later meet up are said to be overjoyed at seeing each other again. The mother is capable of breeding a second time in the same year but usually doesn’t unless her first pregnancy failed. Skunks are omnivores and opportunists—they eat whatever they find or can catch. Their foraging helps to keep mice, rats, and shrews under control, as well as nuisance insects—grubs, grasshoppers, bees, wasps, crickets, and caterpillars, for example. They love a meal of big, juicy spiders. Yum! They also feed on fish, frogs, salamanders, turtle eggs, eggs of ground-nesting birds, young rabbits, small snakes, leftover pet food, and birdseed. They might top off a meal with grasses or nuts. A fruit salad in season is another delight, made up of fallen, spoiling fruit, such as blackberries, blueberries, and cherries.