Presence. Damaged building foundations and spaces underneath porches serve this purpose well. Because striped skunks are abundant, their populations are often susceptible to diseases such as rabies. Gestation is for around 59 to 77 days, starting with delayed implantation that can be as long as 19 days. [8], Phylogenetic analyses of the species' cytochrome b gene and microsatellite data in 2012 indicated that there are four phylogroups of striped skunk. 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. It has sharp claws on its front webbed feet that it will use to dig for grubs, worms, and reptiles or amphibians, and that can aid them climbing trees in search of food. A threatened striped skunk will try to run away from a perceived predator. Striped skunks at the Smithsonian's National Zoo consume a diet consisting primarily of leafy greens, vegetables and insects. It is a stocky animal with short legs, a broad build and bushy tail. Striped Skunks reach the lowest torpid body temperature of all carnivores, dropping from 98.6F to 78.8F (37C to 26C). The eastern spotted skunk, also known as the civet cat, reaches its northernmost limit in the northcentral United States. Spotted skunks are more carnivorous than striped skunks, primarily feeding on small mammals, insects, eggs, and even carrion. Instantly recognizable, striped skunks are known for their signature coloration and for their ability to emit a strong and pungent odor when upset. The skunk excels at this potential and can discharge a foul-smelling fluid as a means of defense. 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. The striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) is an omnivorous mammal of the skunk family Mephitidae. A skunks pelt is composed of soft, wavy underfur overlain with long, coarse guard hairs. Regionally, skunk harvest plummeted from peaks in the 1970s and 1980s. Striped skunks are common throughout their range. Western Canada, from Manitoba to British Columbia; south in the United States to Colorado, Nebraska, and Minnesota. Striped skunk is ideally suited for this purpose because the white hairs of the pelt become a uniform, glossy black when dyed. In general, adults range more widely than juveniles, males more widely than females. They typically inhabit areas with a mixture of dense vegetation and open areas. Southern California, from vicinity of Monterey Bay south into Lower California; east to the Sierra Nevada and San Bernardino Range. Total length: 20 to 28 inches. Each year the New York State hunting and trapping regulation guides remind hunters and trappers that the striped skunk is a valuable furbearing resource. They have short legs and wide rear ends. A Striped Skunk in Wicomico County, Maryland, 2011. Within a few weeks, I have the skunk skull on my desk, a stack of articles on skunks, and a copy of The Biology of the Striped Skunk, by B. J. Vertsthe definitive textbook on the animal . Eastern Oregon, northern California, and Nevada; east to the Wasatch Mountains in Utah. Other names include polecat and the French Canadian enfant du diable, or child of the devil.. The Great Horned Owl is the chief predator of skunks; the skunk's odor does not seem to deter them. 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. Striped Skunks become sexually mature when they are approximately ten months old. A medium-sized subspecies, with a longer tail than that of. [2], While primarily an insectivore, the striped skunk is adaptable enough to incorporate other animals and even vegetable matter into its diet. Weight: Between 3 and 10 pounds. Average Size Striped skunks stand about 6 inches at the shoulder and weigh from 3 to 8 pounds, with males being 10 to 15 percent larger than females. Summer home ranges of 83 to 1,860 acres have been reported for skunks in Illinois. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today remain stable. Transport the covered trap without too much jostling, and the animal will not spray. Striped skunks are typically found at elevations below 5,900 feet (1,800 meters). Skunk pelts are divided into four grades, with the most prized being the ones with a greater amount of black. Regularity. [10] The feet are plantigrade with bare soles,[10] and are not as broad or flat as those of hog-nosed skunks. [10], The striped skunk is polygamous, and normally breeds once a year, though yearling females who have failed to mate may enter a second estrous cycle a month after the first. A Striped Skunk in Queen Annes County, Maryland, 2020. Striped skunks mate in February and early March. Younger females may bear fewer young and give birth later in the year than older females. Skunks are the primary hosts in the north- and south-central United States as well as in Canada. The white markings are usually very broad. They have a long history of association with humans, having been trapped and captively bred for their fur and kept as pets. The burrow has a central chamber (12 to 15 inches in diameter) about three feet underground, connected to the surface by one or more tunnels 5 to 15 feet long. Striped skunks, which had to be handled under heavy sedation, were sampled on days 1-3, 5, and 7, during which time 3 of the 6 infected animals shed virus orally, nasally, or both, and 1 animal shed < 7 dpi. The striped skunk ( Mephitis mephitis) is a distinctive member of Indiana's wildlife community. Alabama Arkansas Colorado Florida Georgia Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska They prefer underground dens in colder winter climates. In spring, summer and early fall, a skunk may den in several different burrows; in winter, it tends to use just one. Skunk pelt prices may have doubled from about 1939 through the early 1940s, but they were never as valuable as red fox. High corn plants also protect young skunks from airborne and land predators without impeding their movements. Striped skunks are omnivorous. Kits are born blind and sparsely furred, weighing 2540grams. As an opportunistic feeder, it will fill its diet with a variety of insects, small mammals, eggs, and occasional plants. Immune to snake venom, these animals will eat poisonous snakes such as rattlesnakes. The first emerged from the Texas-Mexico region during the Rancholabrean before the Illinoian glaciation and colonized the southeastern United States. 0 inches The Striped skunk can be recognized easily by its pattern and colors. 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. [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. Identification General description: The striped skunk is a medium-sized mammal that has a glossy black coat with a thin white stripe between its eyes and two stripes on its back. [10] Although their musk is still undeveloped, kits of this age will instinctively assume the defensive stand position when threatened. Skunks discharge their scent, or musk, through these nozzles, powering the stream with a strong hip muscle contraction. 3 of 8 Population. [11], Like all skunks, the striped skunk possesses two highly developed scent glands, one on each side of the anus, containing about 15 milliliters of musk each,[13] which provides a chemical defense against predation. At birth, striped skunks weigh less than an ounce. As members of the weasel family Mustelidae, they share the characteristics of a musky odor and well-developed scent glands. Striped skunks are omnivorous, opportunistic feeders. (females slightly smaller). 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. At 2-4 weeks, kits can assume a defensive stance and discharge fluid from their scent glands. The striped skunk is a mostly nocturnal omnivore. Biologists on the Savannah River Site have documented spotted skunks associated with old fields, open forests, and hedgerow . Dogs, foxes, coyotes and bobcats take an occasional skunk, but the skunks potent musk warns off most predators. Adult skunks are about two feet long, including a 7- to 10-inch tail. Their practice of digging leaves small-but-noticeable pits in the ground, which can provide evidence of their presence in an area. They are easily identifiable by the white stripe running from head to tail and each individual has a unique pattern of stripes. These grades are further subdivided in value according to their locality, with the most valuable occurring in northern regions, where the fur is finer and darker. . Without doubt, the most widely recognized characteristic of the Striped skunk is the pungent odor of the musk that it produces. Skunks are the primary hosts in the north- and south-central United States as well as in Canada. This page is available in other languages. This oily musk, expelled through the anus, can cause temporary blindness and pain if sprayed in the eyes of a potential attacker. It is found all across the state. It has been prevalent in modern popular culture, being the subject of various jazz and funk songs like Cab Calloway's "Skunk Song" and the Brecker Brothers' "Some Skunk Funk". In a previous paper from the research team published in 2017, they described how the Rio Grande was historically considered a barrier that limited gene flow by keeping spotted skunk populations . 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