![]() Oddly enough, hooded skunks are actually used for food by several cultures in their natural region. Of course, you may not wish to get close enough to test this distinction for yourself. While they’re very similar to the striped skunk in appearance, they actually have softer fur and longer tails. Living in Texas and Central America, hooded skunks eat mostly plants and insects but may also hunt small mammals. This mistaken belief may well be the fault of the hooded skunk, which may have one, two, or no stripes on its back. #3 – Hooded Skunk ( Mephitis macroura)Īn old wives’ tale claims that you can tell the sex of a skunk by whether they have one or two stripes. With a habitat covering the eastern United States, parts of Canada, and a small portion of northeastern Mexico, these skunks are highly active and are known to climb trees. #2 – Eastern Spotted Skunk ( Spilogale putorius)īoasting four stripes on the back, plus other markings, the eastern spotted skunk has a much more slender body than many other species. While capable of climbing trees like other skunk species, the American hog-nosed skunk is specially adapted for digging and can even smell prey through the soil. They have a single stripe covering their back and a completely white tail. One of the largest species of skunk out there, these critters may be found throughout the southern US and Central America. #1 – American Hog-Nosed Skunk ( Conepatus leuconotus) While often portrayed as black with white stripes, they can also be cream, tan, brown, yellow, and even lavender with striped, spotted, and/or albino fur. In all, there are 10 species of skunk across three genera, as well as members of another genera that are considered by some to be skunks but not others. Honorable Mention: Stink Badgers (Mydaus spp.).#10 – Western Spotted Skunk (Spilogale gracilis).#8 – Striped Hog-Nosed Skunk (Conepatus semistriatus).#7 – Southern Spotted Skunk (Spilogale angustifrons).#6 – Pygmy Spotted Skunk (Spilogale pygmaea).#5 – Molina’s Hog-Nosed Skunk (Conepatus chinga).#4 – Humboldt’s Hog-Nosed Skunk (Conepatus humboldtii).#2 – Eastern Spotted Skunk (Spilogale putorius).#1 – American Hog-Nosed Skunk (Conepatus leuconotus).The Eastern Spotted Skunk, Spilogale putorius, is much smaller and has 4 - 6 broken white stripes on the back and sides. In Georgia, the trapping season for the Striped Skunk runs from December through mid-February. The Striped Skunk ranges throughout the United States in a wide variety of habitats. In the wild, the average lifespan of a Striped Skunk is about 3 years. Rabies sometimes remains in a latent form in skunks only to become reactivated later. This species is one of the major reservoirs for rabies in wild animal populations. Humans are also a cause of skunk mortality most people have seen ( or smelled) a dead Striped Skunk along a roadway where it has fallen victim to an encounter with a vehicle. The Great Horned Owl is its major predator, but the Striped Skunk is also preyed upon by hawks, Coyotes, foxes, and Bobcats. It is omnivorous, eating fruits, berries, rodents, frogs, crayfish, birds, eggs, and insects and their larvae. The Striped Skunk is generally nocturnal but in the winter months may be diurnal on overcast days. Kittens leave the care of the female at 12 - 14 weeks of age and disperse to live on their own. The young skunks, called "kittens," begin to eat solid food at 6 - 7 weeks of age and leave the den with the female on nightly foraging trips when they are weaned at 8 weeks of age. A litter of 4-11 young are born in a burrow after a gestation averaging 63 days. Exposure to the musk may cause nausea, swelling of the nose lining, and eye irritation.īreeding takes place from February to April. Musk glands contain enough musk for 5 - 6 sprays and refill within a week. This musk can be expelled as either a fine mist or as droplets for distances up to 3.7 m (12 ft). The musk is sprayed by voluntary contraction of muscles. The strong-smelling musk is produced in two glands on either side of the anus. The Striped Skunk is most well known for its chemical warfare in defense against predators. The Striped Skunk is about the size of a domestic house cat, measuring 53.3 - 71.1 cm (21 - 28 in) in total length and weighing from 1.4 - 5 kg (3 - 11 lbs). The tail is black, tipped with white hairs. The Striped Skunk is covered in long black fur, except for a white stripe from the tip of the nose to the forehead, and a white patch on top of the head that extends to the shoulders, then divides into two stripes down the length of the back.
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