| Skunks | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Striped skunks | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Suborder: | Caniformia |
| Superfamily: | Musteloidea |
| Family: | Mephitidae |
| Groups included | |
 | |
| Skunk genera ranges | |
| Cladistically included but traditionally excluded taxa | |
Skunks aremammals in the familyMephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from theiranal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginger colored, but all havewarning coloration.
While related topolecats and other members of theweasel family, skunks have as their closest relatives the Old Worldstink badgers.[1]
In alphabetical order, the living species of skunks are:[2]
The wordskunk is dated from the 1630s, adapted from a southern New EnglandAlgonquian language (probablyAbenaki)seganku, fromProto-Algonquian*šeka:kwa, from*šek- 'to urinate' +*-a:kw 'fox'.[3]Skunk has historic use as an insult, attested from 1841.[4]
In 1634, a skunk was described inThe Jesuit Relations:
The other is a low animal, about the size of a little dog or cat. I mention it here, not on account of its excellence, but to make of it a symbol of sin. I have seen three or four of them. It has black fur, quite beautiful and shining; and has upon its back two perfectly white stripes, which join near the neck and tail, making an oval that adds greatly to their grace. The tail is bushy and well furnished with hair, like the tail of a Fox; it carries it curled back like that of a Squirrel. It is more white than black; and, at the first glance, you would say, especially when it walks, that it ought to be called Jupiter's little dog. But it is so stinking and casts so foul an odor, that it is unworthy of being called the dog of Pluto. No sewer ever smelled so bad. I would not have believed it if I had not smelled it myself. Your heart almost fails you when you approach the animal; two have been killed in our court, and several days afterward there was such a dreadful odor throughout our house that we could not endure it. I believe the sin smelled bySaint Catherine de Sienne must have had the same vile odor.[5][a]
In Southern United States dialect, the termpolecat is sometimes used as acolloquial nickname for a skunk,[7] even thoughpolecats are only distantly related to skunks.
As a verb,skunk is used to describe the act of overwhelmingly defeating an opponent in a game or competition.Skunk is also used to refer to certain strong-smellingstrains ofCannabis whose smell has been compared to that of a skunk's spray.
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Skunk species vary in size from about 15.6 to 37 in (40 to 94 cm) long and in weight from about 1.1 lb (0.50 kg) (spotted skunks) to 18 lb (8.2 kg) (hog-nosed skunks). They have moderately elongated bodies with relatively short, well-muscled legs and long frontclaws for digging. They have five toes on each foot.
Although the most common fur color is black and white, some skunks are brown or grey and a few are cream-colored. All skunks are striped, even from birth. They may have a single thick stripe across the back and tail, two thinner stripes, or a series of white spots and broken stripes (in the case of the spotted skunk).
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Skunks arecrepuscular and solitary animals when not breeding, though in the colder parts of theirrange, they may gather in communal dens for warmth. During the day they shelter in burrows, which they can dig with their powerful front claws. For most of the year the normal home range for skunks is 0.5 to 2 miles (1 to 3 km) in diameter, with males expanding during breeding season to travel 4 to 5 miles (6 to 8 km) per night.[8]
Skunks are not true hibernators in the winter, but do den up for extended periods of time. However, they remain generally inactive and feed rarely, going through a dormant stage.[9] Over winter, multiple females (as many as 12) huddle together; males often den alone. Often, the same winter den is repeatedly used.
Although they have excellent senses of smell and hearing, they have poor vision, being unable to see objects more than about 3 m (10 ft) away, making them vulnerable todeath by road traffic. They are short-lived; their lifespan in the wild can reach seven years, with an average of six years.[10][11] In captivity, they may live for up to 10 years.[10][11]
Skunks mate in early spring and arepolygynous (that is, successful males are uninhibited from mating with additional females).[citation needed]
Before giving birth (usually in May), the female excavates a den to house her litter of four to seven kits.[citation needed]
Skunks areplacental, with a gestation period of about 66 days.[12]
When born, skunk kits are blind and deaf, but already covered by a soft layer of fur. About three weeks after birth, they first open their eyes; the kits are weaned about two months after birth. They generally stay with their mother until they are ready to mate, roughly at one year of age.[citation needed]
The mother is protective of her kits, spraying at any sign of danger. The male plays no part in raising the young.[13]
Skunks areomnivorous, eating both plant and animal material and changing their diets as the seasons change. They eat insects,larvae,earthworms,grubs,rodents, lizards,salamanders, frogs, snakes, birds,moles, andeggs. They also commonly eatberries,roots,leaves, grasses, fungi andnuts.[citation needed]
In settled areas, skunks also seek garbage left by humans. Less often, skunks may be found acting asscavengers, eating bird androdent carcasses left by cats or other animals. Pet owners, particularly those of cats, may experience a skunk finding its way into a garage or basement where pet food is kept. Skunks commonly dig holes in lawns in search of grubs and worms.[citation needed]
Skunks use their long claws to break apart rotting logs to find insects that live within them. They also use those claws to help dig for insects, which leaves behind pits, which are easy signs of foraging. The claws also help with pinning down live and active prey.[14]
Skunks are one of the primary predators of thehoneybee, relying on their thick fur to protect them from stings. The skunk scratches at the front of thebeehive and eats the guard bees that come out to investigate.[15] Mother skunks are known to teach this behavior to their young.
Skunks are notorious for their anal scent glands, which they can use as adefensive weapon. They are similar to, though much more developed than, the glands found in species of the familyMustelidae. Skunks have two glands, one on each side of the anus. These glands produce the skunk's spray, which is a mixture ofsulfur-containing chemicals such asthiols (traditionally called mercaptans), which have an offensive odor. The thiols also make their spray highly flammable.[16][17] A skunk's spray is powerful enough to ward off bears and other potential attackers.[18]Muscles located next to the scent glands allow them to spray with a high degree of accuracy, as far as 3 m (10 ft).[19] The spray can also cause irritation and even temporary blindness, and is sufficiently powerful to be detected by a human nose up to 5.6 km (3.5 miles) downwind.[20] Their chemical defense is effective, as illustrated by this extract fromCharles Darwin's 1839 bookThe Voyage of the Beagle:
We saw also a couple ofZorrillos, or skunks—odious animals, which are far from uncommon. In general appearance, theZorrillo resembles a polecat, but it is rather larger and much thicker in proportion. Conscious of its power, it roams by day about the open plain and fears neither dog nor man. If a dog is urged to the attack, its courage is instantly checked by a few drops of the fetid oil, which brings on violent sickness and running at the nose. Whatever is once polluted by it, is forever useless.Azara says the smell can be perceived at a league distance; more than once, when entering the harbour of Monte Video, the wind being offshore, we have perceived the odour onboard theBeagle. Certain it is, that every animal most willingly makes room for theZorrillo.[21]
Skunks carry just enough for five or six successive sprays – about 15 cm3 – and require up to ten days to produce another supply.[22] Their bold black and whitecoloration makes their appearance memorable. It is to a skunk's advantage to warn possiblepredators off without expending scent: black and whiteaposematic warning coloration aside, threatened skunks will go through an elaborate routine of hisses, foot-stamping, and tail-highdeimatic or threat postures before resorting to spraying. Skunks usually do not spray other skunks, except among males in the mating season. If they fight over den space in autumn, they do so with teeth and claws.[23]
Mostpredators of the Americas, such aswolves,foxes, andbadgers, seldom attack skunks, presumably out of fear of being sprayed. The exceptions are reckless predators whose attacks fail once they are sprayed, dogs, and thegreat horned owl,[24] which is the skunk's only regular predator.[25] In one case, the remains of 57striped skunks were found in a single great horned owl nest.[26]
Skunks are common in suburban areas, and domestic dogs are often sprayed by skunks. There are many misconceptions about the removal of skunk odor, including the pervasive idea thattomato juice will neutralize the odor. These household remedies are ineffective, and only appear to work due toolfactory fatigue.[27] In 1993,[28] the American chemist Paul Krebaum has developed a formula that chemically neutralizes skunk spray by changing the odor-causingthiols into odorless acids,[29] which is endorsed by theHumane Society of the United States for sprayed dogs.[30] It involveshydrogen peroxide,baking soda, andliquid dish soap.
Skunk spray is composed mainly of three low-molecular-weight thiol compounds, (E)-2-butene-1-thiol, 3-methyl-1-butanethiol, and 2-quinolinemethanethiol, as well asacetatethioesters of these.[31][32][33][34][35][36] These compounds are detectable by the human nose at concentrations of only 11.3 parts per billion.[37][38]
It is rare for a healthy skunk to bite a human, though a tame skunk whose scent glands have been removed (usually on behalf of those who will keep it as a pet) may defend itself by biting. There are, however, a few recorded incidents of skunks biting humans. Skunk bites in humans can result in infection with therabies virus. TheCenters for Disease Control (CDC) recorded 1,494 cases of rabies in skunks in the United States for the year 2006—about 21.5% of reported cases in all species.[39][40] Skunks in fact are less prominent thanraccoons asvectors of rabies. (However, this varies regionally in the United States, withraccoons dominating along theAtlantic coast and the easternGulf of Mexico, while skunks instead predominate throughout theMidwest, including the western Gulf, and in California.)
Mephitis mephitis, the striped skunk, is the most social skunk and the one most commonly kept as a pet. In the US, skunks can legally be kept as pets in 17 states.[41] When a skunk is kept as a pet, its scent glands are often surgically removed.[41]
In the UK, skunks can be kept as pets,[42] but theAnimal Welfare Act 2006 made it illegal to remove their scent glands.[43]
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