Chapter 8

Skunks

Mephitidae

Originally thought to be part of the weasel family, skunks, according to recent genetic information, are a separate family that includes the 4 species of hog-nosed skunks (Conepatus), hooded and striped skunks (Mephitis), and the 4 species of spotted skunks (Spilogale). These species are found only in North and South America. Their cousins, the stink badgers, are the other members of this family and live in Indonesia.

The animal was new to European explorers and colonists, and the word skunk came from various Native American names; it is called zorrillo, or “small fox,” in Spanish. Somewhat resembling the Old World polecats, skunks are also called by that name in some areas; however, the endangered black-footed ferret is the only true polecat in the New World. With the clearing of dense forests, skunks’ range expanded, and today they are found throughout North America and south to central South America, in both suburban and rural areas.

Skunks are most famous for their defensive ability to spray an oily, amber-colored, noxious-smelling liquid from their anal scent glands in a mist or stream. Despite this feature, Native Americans and farmers occasionally kept skunks as pets to help control rodents and other pests. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, skunks were also raised commercially for their fur, which was often purposefully mislabeled as sable.

Where legal, the more social striped skunk, with scent glands removed, is still bred and sold as a pet. There is no US-approved rabies vaccine for skunks, so if a pet skunk bites someone it is often euthanatized for testing.

Description

Skunks generally have broad, robust bodies; short, stocky legs with powerful feet and claws for digging; a long snout; and thick, brushy tails.

Habitat and Behavior

Skunks are not territorial; individuals often occupy the same range as other skunks. The striped skunk is very adaptable to differing habitats, including woodlands, rocky or dry areas, brushy grasslands, fencerows near open fields, and even suburban neighborhoods — as long as there is a water source. It may dig its own den but often occupies burrows or tunnels made by other animals, as well as hollow logs, rock and wood piles, culverts, and areas in and under abandoned and neglected buildings. Skunks do not generally roam more than 2 miles from their den.

Spotted skunks prefer more isolated woodlands, grasslands, rocky canyons, or farm fields. They may have several dens and share them with other skunks.

Hunting and foraging. Skunks are omnivorous, and their diet varies according to seasonal availability. They primarily eat insects, grubs and larvae, worms, rodents and other small animals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and eggs. They also consume plants, roots, berries, nuts, and fungi and occasionally scavenge carcasses. Primarily nocturnal, skunks are often more active at dawn and dusk.

Life Cycle

Except during breeding season, skunks are most often solitary animals. Breeding occurs in early spring, with males often mating with several females as young as 1 year old. Two to 6 or more kits are born in early May, usually remaining with their mothers until about 1 year of age, although they are capable of using their scent glands at 1 week old. Although their life span can range from 7 to 10 years, most skunks do not survive their first year, falling prey to road accidents, trapping and hunting, great horned owls and other predatory birds, and domestic dogs. Most animals avoid confrontations with skunks if possible, although larger predators will kill skunks.

Often returning to the same dens, males usually remain alone. A group of females and a single male may use common dens during winter, where they are dormant sleepers during the coldest weeks, rather than true hibernators. They emerge to feed on warmer days. In warmer climates, skunks remain active year-round.

Skunks have excellent senses of hearing and smell, but very poor vision, allowing them to see only up to 10 feet.

Human Interaction

Skunks are highly beneficial in the ecosystem for killing rodents, rabbits, rattlesnakes (skunks are immune to their venom), poisonous spiders and scorpions, and many other insect pests. Occasional encounters or visits by a skunk are not a problem in most cases.

Skunks may eat eggs and prey on poultry hatchings and adults, ground-nesting waterfowl, and domestic rabbits. They will also eat honeybees by scratching at the hive and eating the bees that emerge. They are attracted to garbage, bird feeders, and pet food. They can move into buildings, crawl under porches, and fall in window wells, swimming pools, or garbage cans and be unable to climb out.

Although rabid skunks have been discovered throughout the United States and Canada, most cases occur in the Atlantic coastal states, Kentucky, Tennessee, the upper midwestern states south through Texas, Arizona, and California. In Canada, most cases of skunk rabies are found in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Legalities

Striped skunks are not protected in most states or provinces, while spotted skunks are fully protected in some areas. In many areas, it is unlawful to release a trapped skunk due to the threat of rabies. Call local authorities or professionals for assistance and regulations about trapping and relocating skunks.

Keeping a skunk as a pet is illegal in most states and provinces. Where legal, skunks must usually be purchased from a licensed breeder and state or local permits may be required.

Striped Skunk

(Mephitis mephitis)

Photo of a striped skunk on a pine-needled coated forest floor. The skunk is black with a thick white stripe fron the top of its head to the tip of its tail. The stripe continues from the head to the tip of the nose, but as a very thin line.

Striped skunks have adapted to life in cities and suburbs and expanded their ranges across the Canadian prairie.

The striped skunk is the most common skunk in North America, appearing in 13 subspecies. Weighing from 4 to 10 pounds and ranging from 21 to 32 inches, including the tail, males are slightly larger than females, and northern skunks occupy the larger end of the size range. While striped skunks have long, strong claws and are excellent diggers, they are very poor climbers. They usually have a black base coat with a white stripe on the head, separating into two stripes along the body, and a mostly white flat, bushy tail. Stripes on the front legs and a white chest patch can also be present. In the wild, mutated forms have a brown or cream base color, and breeders have developed several other color varieties.

Illustration of a striped skunk profile. Tail 9-14 inches. 12-18 inches from tip of nose to rump. Approx. 8 inches at shoulder.

▲ Striped Skunk

Map of North America highlighting the range of the striped skunk. Range includes most all of the continental United States, most of the Southern Canadian provinces, and most of northern Mexico except coastal areas.

Striped skunks are found throughout most of the United States, except the very arid Southwest; and across the southern Canadian provinces, except coastal British Columbia.

Spotted Skunks

Western Spotted Skunk

(Spilogale gracilis)

Photograph of a spotted skunk atop a moss-covered stone ledge with a lush, leafy green background. The skink is small and black with lots of pure white splotches all over. The splotches, while irregular, are elongated ovals in shape.

The spotted skunk is smaller and more secretive than its cousin the striped skunk.

Eastern Spotted Skunk

(Spilogale putorius)

The Western spotted skunk and the Eastern spotted skunk are the smallest members of this family. The Western weighs only 1 to 2 pounds and ranges in length from 12 to 18 inches, including the tail. Eastern spotted skunks are longer, at 13 to 28 inches, and weigh 2 to 4 pounds. Spotted skunks are black or grayish black with a variable pattern of stripes and spots, usually including a large spot on the head, 4 to 6 stripes on the neck and body, and a white-tipped tail. Faster, more agile, and better tree or fence climbers than their striped relatives, spotted skunks are able to enter barn lofts or house attics. They are also more secretive, less populous, and declining in eastern areas.

Illustration of a spotted skunk profile. Tail 5-12 inches. 7-16 inches from tip of nose to rump. Approx. 5 inches at shoulder.

▲ Spotted Skunk

Illustration of North America, highlighting the spotted skunk's range. The western spotted skunk is in the far western side of British Columbia (Vancover area). It covers most of the western US and northern Mexico with the exception of North-most regions of eastern Washington, and most all of North Dakota. The end of the Western Spotted Skunks range overlaps with the beginning of the Eastern spotted skunks range from the middle of the state of Texas, the northeast corner of New Mexico, eastern Colorado, eastern Wyoming, and western South Dakota. The Eastern Spotted Skunks range goes from that overlap east to Florida, Georgia, western South and North Carolinas, Tenessee, eastern Virgina, West Virginia, and a small portion of Pensilvania. There are no spotted skunks in the Northeast, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.

Western spotted skunks are primarily found in states west of the Continental Divide, but also across Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and western Texas; and southwestern British Columbia.

Eastern spotted skunks are found in the central and interior southern states, and Florida.

Skunk Encounters

Due to their poor eyesight, skunks may not see you until you are quite close. Whether the skunk appears alarmed or not, move away quietly and slowly. Do not yell or threaten the skunk since either action will encourage it to spray. Overly aggressive, friendly, or odd movements or an ill or unkempt appearance likely indicate disease and are a cause for great caution. Skunks rarely bite unless cornered or rabid.

Entrapped Skunks

If a skunk is trapped in a building, leave all doors and exits open. With gentle encouragement, it will probably leave, although a mother with kits will be most resistant. She will also leave her kits behind while she hunts.

If you suspect that a skunk is occupying a den or other location, first loosely cover the entrance with crumpled newspaper, sprinkle flour or talcum powder on the ground to reveal any tracks, and observe the site for 2 or 3 days. If it remains undisturbed, the space can be permanently filled with gravel or blocked with mesh or other materials. If you are uncertain, you can construct a one-way hinged door to allow the skunk out but not in.

Lights and noise near their denning sites can temporarily repel skunks. Used kitty litter, pepper sprays and solutions, skunk repellents, ammonia-soaked rags, and mothballs can also discourage skunks.

A trapped skunk may be able to climb a rough-covered board or a ramp out of a hole, set at no more than a 45-degree angle. You may also be able to entice a skunk into a cage or box with a smelly food. Cover a trapped skunk since it usually will not spray if it can’t see its target.

A Most Powerful Weapon

Skunks have a uniquely effective defense system that commands the respect of most other animals.

  • Skunks can spray in any position and with accuracy up to 15 feet, generally aiming at the eyes of the predator.
  • Skunk spray is nontoxic, although it can be painful and cause burning or temporary blindness in eyes.
  • Skunks’ loud markings warn other animals to stay away, and therefore they themselves are generally docile, confident, and nonaggressive.
  • Before turning to spray a threat, skunks generally give warning hisses, stamp their feet, raise their tail, or make short charges.
  • Spotted skunks maintain eye contact while spraying, either standing on their front feet and raising their hind end or arching into a horseshoe shape.
  • Striped skunks can discharge their spray 5 to 8 times and then require a week to recharge their glands.
  • It is a myth that skunks cannot spray when held by their tail.
  • Humans can detect a skunk discharge up to 1.5 miles away.

Dealing with Skunks

Homes and Yards

Livestock Husbandry

Fencing

Removing Skunk Odor

From pets and other animals

Bathe with foaming mixture of:

  • 1⁄4 cup baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon liquid dishwashing detergent
  • 1 quart hydrogen peroxide 3%

Do not store this solution. Wear rubber gloves and rinse pet thoroughly. Keep out of eyes. Commercial products are also available. Both commercial products and homemade solutions may affect coat color or irritate skin. Tomato juice is not effective at removing odor, only masking the smell.

From surfaces, buildings, or fabrics

  • Turn off heating, air conditioning, or other air circulation first. Open all windows and doors, inside and out. Boil white vinegar for 2 hours or so.
  • Clean indoor and outdoor surfaces, undersides of vehicles, and laundry with full-strength white vinegar or commercial products.
  • Wash color-safe fabrics with oxygen bleach, diluted vinegar or ammonia, or a commercial product specific to skunk odor removal. All are somewhat effective, although it is very difficult to remove the odor completely.
  • Place a large pan of boiling white vinegar in a tightly closed vehicle or outbuilding until it cools, then air out the space.

Damage ID: Skunk

Prey on

Poultry hatchings and adults, ground-nesting waterfowl, domestic rabbits, honey bees, eggs

Time of day

Night

Icon of cresent moon indicating night or nocturnal

Method of Kill

Though damage occurs at night, striped skunks are occasionally seen during the day. Orphaned and ill skunks are more likely seen during the day.

  • Chicks, 1 or 2 birds, or eggs lost
  • Animal missing, dragged to den
  • Birds and rabbits held against the ground by all 4 paws and killed by a bite to the neck
  • Carcass apparently mauled, abdomen eaten; rabbit carcass chewed, but often only the head and foreparts eaten.
  • Empty shells or eggs carried up to 3 feet away
  • Eggs opened at end, sometimes showing 4 fang marks; shell crushed inward where skunk pushed its nose in; looks as though the chick hatched
  • Fertile eggs, closer to hatching, chewed into smaller pieces
  • Spotted skunks will throw eggs between their legs against objects to break them.
  • Nests torn apart
  • Skunk smell present, although it can be carried and left by other sprayed animals (dogs or livestock)
  • Surface digging in grassy areas, with small cone-shaped holes or fresh sod rolled back
  • Access usually gained through holes, gaps, or by digging
  • Lower ears of garden corn eaten

Tracks

Striped. Front 15⁄8–2 inches long, 1–11⁄4 inches wide; rear 11⁄4–2 inches long, 1–21⁄4 inches wide.

Illustration of both front and rear tracks of a striped skunk

Spotted. Front 1–15⁄8 inches long, 3⁄4–1 inch wide; rear 7⁄8–13⁄8 inches long, 3⁄4–1 inch wide. Claw marks present, fifth toe and heels might not be visible.

Illustration of both front and rear tracks of a spotted skunk

Gait

Striped: Walk overstep or direct-register, stride 4–9 inches; also trot stride 8–11 inches; lope stride 3–7 inches, often move sideways.

Spotted: Walk overstep or direct-register, stride 2–6 inches; also bound, stride 6–30 inches; or lope, stride 9–11 inches.

Scat

Blunt, 5 inches long, and 3⁄4 inch in diameter; contains insect pieces.

Illustration of scat from both a spotted skunk and a striped skunk. Striped is up to 5 inches long and dark brown. Spotted skunk scat is approximately 1 inch in length and a lighter brown color.