Skunks are one animal almost everyone knows by sight. And thanks to their potent spray, you don't always have to even see a skunk to know one is nearby.
But skunks are more than just stink and stripes. There's probably a lot you don't know about them, including about their well-known defense mechanism.
Here’s your chance to deepen your knowledge of skunks.
They spray only as a last resort
A skunk's potent spray is a pretty good defense mechanism, but it's not their first choice when it comes to scaring away predators and dangers. To start, a skunk will stomp its feet, raise its tail or click its teeth to warn potential threats to stay away. If that doesn't work, they will charge at the threat, stopping just short. If that still is not enough to send the threat scampering away, they turn around and let the stinky spray rip. They can accurately hit their target from about 10 feet away, but the spray can be carried as far as 20 feet if wind conditions are right.
Words to know
Arthropods: Animals with an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and paired jointed appendages, such as insects, spiders and crustaceans.
Deplete: To use up the supply of something.
Deterrent: Something that discourages someone or something from doing something.
Immune: Resistant to the effects of something or a disease.
Replenish: To fill again.
Scamper: To run quickly with light steps.
One reason they aren't very quick to use their most effective defense mechanism is that it takes awhile to restock the supply after it's gone. They can spray as many as six times before the supply is depleted, but once it's gone, it takes between eight and 10 days to be replenished.
Skunks aren't born with the ability to use their spray, but they are able to do so when they are as young as eight days old. That's about two weeks before they are even able to open their eyes!
They don't all have stripes
Skunks are easy to identify from their coloring: black with two thick white stripes running along their backs and tails. It's just striped skunks that have stripes, though. There are other skunk species with different fur patterns.
In addition to striped skunks, there are also spotted skunks and hog-nosed skunks. All three species have black and white fur, but the patterns are different. Spotted skunks have four broken white stripes on their bodies. This gives them a spotted appearance. The hog-nosed skunk has just one white stripe, but it is very broad and often covers the animal’s entire back.
Among striped skunks, the white stripes can vary considerably. Some have thick white stripes that cover almost their entire backs, while others have much more thin stripes.
No matter how thick or how thin they are, those bold stripes serve a purpose. While many animals rely on their coloring as camouflage, skunks use theirs as a warning. Their black fur might help them blend in at night, when they are most active, but those white stripes are attention-getting. The coloration is easy to recognize, so once an animal is sprayed, they will likely remember to give skunks their space.
They thrive in many different habitats
Skunks can live just about anywhere. They need a good source of water, so they are typically seen within 1 mile or 2 miles of a permanent water source. They also prefer wooded areas, but you’ll often see them in agricultural fields and even suburban and urban neighborhoods.
Skunks live in dens, but they aren't too choosy when it comes to finding a spot for one. They often take over dens from other animals, such as foxes, groundhogs and rabbits. They will also create a cozy home under a porch or deck or in a hollowed-out tree. Sometimes they will even share a den with another creature as long as they aren't rearing their babies, called kits.
Kits are typically born in May or early June. A typical litter will have between four and eight kits, which the mothers care for on their own. The babies stay in their dens for about two months and then start taking short trips out to hunt with their mother. They will usually leave to establish home territories of their own in the fall.
They don't have many natural predators
It's probably not hard to figure out why skunks aren't preyed on by many animals. That strong odor is a pretty good deterrent for many carnivores, but they aren't totally without natural predators. Skunks are mainly preyed on by owls, eagles and other raptors, and there's a good reason for this. Raptors don't have a good sense of smell, so their odor isn't such a turnoff for them.
Land-based animals don't completely avoid skunks, but it's not a first choice for many. Top predators like coyotes will usually only eat skunks when food is scarce and nothing else is available.
Skunks can live about seven years in the wild, but many young skunks do not survive more than a year. They often die of diseases such as rabies and distemper, and they are also often hit by cars. One reason for this is because they are slow. They only reach speeds of 10 mph, and they do not react as quickly as other animals do when cars approach them on roadways.
They aren't picky eaters
Only the least picky eaters will choose a skunk for a meal, and the list of not-so-picky eaters in the animal kingdom would include skunks as well. Skunks are omnivores, so they don't limit themselves to only plant or animal matter. Their main food sources are insects, berries, nuts and some plant matter. They are considered opportunistic eaters and will eat what is readily available.
Their diet tends to change with the seasons. In the warmer months, they eat a variety of insects and other arthropods. As temperatures drop, they switch to hunting rodents and other small mammals as well as reptiles, amphibians, fish and eggs. They will also eat grain such as corn.
They even eat bees! They have been known to dig into the nests of ground-nesting bees to find a meal and even prey on beehives. In some areas, skunks are considered a major predator of bees. They are immune to their venom, so eating them poses no risks to them. In addition to adult bees, they will dig up bee larvae as well.
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