| Hog-nosed skunk | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Molina's hog-nosed skunk (C. chinga),Humboldt's hog-nosed skunk (C. humboldtii),American hog-nosed skunk (C. leuconotus) andstriped hog-nosed skunk (C. semistriatus). | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Mephitidae |
| Genus: | Conepatus Gray, 1837 |
| Type species | |
| Conepatus humboldtii[1] Gray, 1837 | |
| Species | |
| |
 | |
| Conepatus ranges | |
Thehog-nosed skunks belong to the genusConepatus and are members of the familyMephitidae (skunks). They are native tothe Americas. They have white backs and tails and black underparts.[2]
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
_Inao_V%25C3%25A1squez_001.jpg) | Conepatus chinga | Molina's hog-nosed skunk | Chile,Peru, northernArgentina,Bolivia,Paraguay,Uruguay, and southernBrazil |
 | Conepatus humboldtii | Humboldt's hog-nosed skunk | Patagonian regions of South Argentina |
.jpg) | Conepatus leuconotus | American hog-nosed skunk | Texas, New Mexico, Arizona,Mexico,Guatemala,Honduras,Nicaragua |
 | Conepatus semistriatus | Striped hog-nosed skunk | southern Mexico to northern Peru, and in the extreme east of Brazil |
†Conepatus robustus
†Conepatus sanmiguelensis
†Conepatus suffocans
Work in 2003 concluded that the western hog-nosed skunk or common hog-nosed skunk (formerlyConepatus mesoleucus) is the same species as the American hog-nosed skunk, and thatConepatus leuconotus is the correct name of the merged populations.[3][4]
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The individual hog-nosed skunkspecies vary in size, but among them is included the largest of all skunks. All are characterized by comparatively short hair, especially on the tail, and this appendage lacks the plumelike appearance observed in other skunks. The nose is prolonged into a distinct "snout", naked on the top and sides and evidently used for rooting in the earth after the manner of a pig as their name implies. In addition, the front feet are armed with long, heavyclaws. The claws are well developed for digging up insect prey,[5] and the front legs and shoulders are provided with a strong muscular development for digging, as in abadger. This likeness has led to the use in some places of the appropriate name "badger skunk" for these animals. The extent of the stripe on the hind of the skunk, and the color of the tail underside suggests a distinction between eastern and western species. The eastern species is a narrow stripe, with black under the base of the tail. The western distinction is a wide stripe, with a predominantly white tail.The hair on these skunks is coarse and harsh, lacking the qualities which render the coats of their northern relatives so valuable. They arenocturnal.[5]
Before the merge of the American hog-nosed skunks, the eastern hog-nosed skunk,Conepatus leuconotus is typically larger than the western hog-nosed skunk,Conepatus mesoleucus. Female eastern hog-nosed skunks range from 58 to 74 cm in length and 19–34 cm in height. They weigh between 2.0 and 4.0 kg. Male hog-nosed skunks range from 56 to 92 cm in length and 22–41 cm in height. They weigh on average between 3.0 and 4.5 kg. The western hog-nosed skunk ranged from 40 to 84 cm in length, 13–35 cm in height, and 1.1–2.7 kg. Males are larger than females and can occasionally reach 4.5 kg.[5] The teeth are smaller inC. mesoleucus than inC. leuconotus.[6]
The anal sac secretion of the hog-nosed skunk,Conepatus mesoleucus, had two major volatile components, (E)-2-butene-1-thiol and (E)-S-2-butenyl thioacetate. Minor volatile components identified from this secretion were phenylmethanethiol, 2-methylquinoline, 2-quinolinemethanethiol, and bis[(E)-2-butenyl] disulfide.[7] 3-Methyl-l-butanethiol, a major component in the defensive spray of the striped skunk, hooded skunk and the spotted skunk was absent from this secretion.
The eastern hog-nosed skunk is found only inSouthern Texas,Veracruz, Mexico, and Arizona[5][6]The Molina hog-nosed skunk, also known as the Andean hog-nosed skunk (C. chinga), is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay.[8] Humboldt's hog-nosed skunk, also known as the Patagonian hog-nosed skunk (C. humboldtii) finds its habitat in the open grassy areas in thePatagonian regions of Chile and Argentina[9] The western hog-nosed skunk (C. mesoleucus) is found in,Texas,Arizona,New Mexico, Sierra Guadalupe, Coahuila,Colima, Honduras,Sonora, and Nicaragua.[6] The striped hog-nosed skunk,C. semistriatus, is found inVeracruz, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.[6]
Where their range coincides with that of the common skunks, the local distribution of the two is practically the same. They live along the bottom-lands of watercourses, where vegetation is abundant and the supply of food most plentiful, or incanyons and on rocky mountain slopes.
For their protection hog-nosed skunks create their ownburrows, generally within a bank, or beneath arock, or theroots of a tree, but do not hesitate to take possession of the deserted burrows of other animals, or of natural cavities among the rocks. Owing to their strictlynocturnal habits, they are generally much less frequently seen than the common skunks, even in localities where they are numerous. Sightings are recorded from brush habitat and semi-opengrasslands. Habitats may also include rockyterrain andstream beds in desert-scrub andmesquite grassland.
Infrequent sightings of the American hog-nosed skunk raise concerns over its conservation status.[5]
Although both thespotted skunks and common skunks live mainly on insects, the hog-nosed skunks are even moreinsectivorous in their feeding habits. The bare snout appears to be used constantly for the purpose of rooting outbeetles, beetlelarvae (or grubs), and larvae of various insects from the ground.
This article incorporates text from the publicationWild Animals of North America, copyright 1918 bythe National Geographic Society. This book is in thepublic domain.
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