Striped skunks can experience delayed implantation lasting up to 19 days. Description: A medium-sized, stout-bodied mammal with a small head, short legs, and a prominent, bushy tail. A strong market for fur-trimmed cloth coats developed in the late 1930s as our country recovered from the Great Depression. Weight: 3.5 - 10.0 pounds. [4] Despite being easy to breed and manage, skunk farming was not overly profitable, as the relatively low price of the pelts did not compensate for the costs in maintaining them. The striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) is the most common skunk in Texas and North America. Some specimens have a white patch on the chest, while others bear white stripes on the outer surface of the front limbs. Coyotes, foxes, owls, bobcat and fisher will prey on skunks, and collisions with cars are a common cause of skunk deaths. A female will sometimes breed for a second time in May, later in the spring, if she has lost her first litter, or she experienced a pseudopregnancy. Their senses of sight, smell and hearing have been judged poor to fair compared with those of other wild mammals. Avoid single-use plastics, such as plastic bottles, bags and utensils. The type locality is in eastern Canada. Striped skunk sizes vary greatly depending upon time of year and geographic location,with weights fluctuating between 1.5 and 13 pounds (0.7 to 6.3 kg), and total length varying between18 and 32 inches (46.5 to 81.5 cm). Length: 20.0 - 30.0 inches Young are born blind, with eyes opening between 2-4 weeks of age. Members are our strongest champions of animal conservation and wildlife research. Perhaps the value of skunk musk to the perfume industry, combined with the commercial use of their pelts, caused early legislators to give skunks special consideration. Skunks spray when threatened, serving as a nuisance for sprayed humans and pets. They prefer open areas with a variety of habitats and inhabit particularly mixed woodlands, brushy corners, and open fields interspersed with wooded ravines and rocky outcrops. Skunks are susceptible to several diseases including canine distemper and most notably, rabies. The most common skunks in North America, striped skunks are terrestrial animals that can survive in a variety of habitats and land types. Mephitis memphitis has proven highly adaptable. [13], The striped skunk is a stoutly-built, short-limbed animal with a small, conical head and a long, heavily furred tail. Large, bushy black and white tail. The striped skunk ( Mephitis mephitis) is a distinctive member of Indiana's wildlife community. Regionally, skunk harvest plummeted from peaks in the 1970s and 1980s. They have a long history of association with humans, having been trapped and captively bred for their fur[4] and kept as pets. The Striped skunk is similar in size to a normal house cat with a stout body, short legs, small head and a bushy tail. Striped skunks are omnivorous, opportunistic feeders. Size : Total length: 20-30 inches; tail length: 7-15 inches; weight: 2-11 pounds. Where To Find 5013 Miller Trunk Hwy At 2-4 weeks, kits can assume a defensive stance and discharge fluid from their scent glands. Though . A study released in 2013 included a video of a Western spotted skunk handstanding and facing off with a mountain lion over a deer carcass. Hunting and trapping are regulated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, regulations. For the Muscogee people, the skunk represented family loyalty and defense of loved ones. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today remain stable. Its numbers usually decline as abandoned fields and pastures become forested. Stink badgers are preyed upon by civets, cats, and humans. Striped skunks are largely nocturnal, medium-sized omnivores in the weasel family (Mustelidae). Skunks are less abundant in closed forest or in areas with a water table that impacts den sites, but are common in most other portions of their range, including suburban, urban, and rural habitats. The striped skunk is abundant in New York and its populations are secure. Most skunks live two to three years in the wild; in captivity, they have lived 10 years. Eastern spotted skunk Prior to copulating, the males' testicles swell during the JanuaryFebruary period, with maximum size being attained in March. (Verts, 1967). Skunks have poor eyesight and mostly hunt by nose and hearing, so it can be easy to startle one. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0; additional terms may apply. It can spray in any direction by twisting its rump toward the target. 1-Nov. 12; Sunday Nov. 13; Nov.14-Nov.19; Sunday Nov. 20; Nov. 21-Nov. 26; Sunday Nov. 27; Nov. 28-. They weigh 3 to 12 pounds, depending on age, sex, physical condition and time of year. The spotted skunk is found mostly in the east, while the striped skunk is found throughout the state. Females give birth in May, often in woodchuck burrows, to an average litter of six. Striped skunks can be found throughout Pennsylvania, but the highest densities are associated with agricultural areas. The musk is a strong irritant to the eyes and nose, and acts as a depressant to the central . A muscle-encapsulated gland positioned under the tail produces a liquid that can be expelled. Size: 18-32 inches long; up to 8 lbs. Tail length averaged 8.7 (221 mm), ranging from 6.3 to 11.4 (159-290 mm) in the Eastern United States, and ranged from 7.9 to 11.0 (200-280 mm) in Wisconsin. (1982). Eastern Oregon, northern California, and Nevada; east to the Wasatch Mountains in Utah. For this reason, it is not wise to feed a house cat outside your home after dark. It also suggested that the decline in Plains Spotted Skunk harvest was due to decline in fur prices (Reports from 1951). [11], The striped skunk is easily tamed and was often kept in barns to kill rats and mice during the 19th century. [14] This oily, yellow-colored musk consists of a mixture of powerfully odorous thiols (sulfur analogues of alcohols, in older sources called "mercaptans"), which can be sprayed at a distance of several meters. Some stories try to explain its striped pattern or how it got its smell. Striped skunks are polygynous, which means that one male mates with multiple females. Often, a skunk will use an abandoned woodchuck burrow, although if none are available it will dig its own. Younger females may bear fewer young and give birth later in the year than older females. Adults grow to be about 47 to 82 cm (about 18 to 32 inches) long and may weigh up to 6.3 kg (13 pounds). The striped skunk is a black and white mammal about the size of a house cat. The the striped skunk in Tennessee is the most commone and it occurs state-wide. Now more than ever, we need your support. More mature skunks will fall prey to foxes, coyotes, bobcats, and badgers. The eyes open after around three weeks, and are weaned after 4256 days. 3001 Connecticut Ave., NW Most striped skunks do not survive their first year, succumbing to the weather or disease. They often live in the abandoned dens of other mammals during the day, or take up residence in hollowed logs, brush piles or underneath buildings. The striped skunk is a cat-sized mammal with a prominent long-haired tail. Ears: 0.8 - 1.0 inches However, these animals may still be harvested in most parts of Canada and the United States. Variations include striping patterns and coloration; some striped skunks may be cream-colored with no visible striping. These skunks only travel about 800 m from their home, yet they can walk about 2 km (1.2 mi) per night. Striped skunks mate in February and early March. [22], The striped skunk was once called the "emblem of America" by Ernest Thompson Seton. Damaged building foundations and spaces underneath porches serve this purpose well. Go to Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. It persists in much of its original range and populations are healthy. Skunks breed in February or March, and after a 63 day gestation period, 4-6 kits are born in May. Along with the woodchuck, raccoon, Canada goose, mourning dove, several species of blackbirds and other wildlife, the skunk prospers wherever humans clear land for farming and remove or drive out larger predators. Summer home ranges of 83 to 1,860 acres have been reported for skunks in Illinois. An interesting side note is that house cats tolerate the presence of skunks. Like all skunks, they possess highly developed musk-filled scent glands to ward off predators. The advantage that these birds have over their terrestrial counterparts is that, because they have no sense of smell, they are unaffected by the striped skunks last means of defense: its spray. [10] Although their musk is still undeveloped, kits of this age will instinctively assume the defensive stand position when threatened. [11] Alternative English names for the striped skunk include common skunk,[12] Hudsonian skunk, northern skunk, black-tailed skunk and prairie polecat. [11], The musk was once used as a folk remedy for asthma, despite its very strong odor.[12]. In summer, they feed heavily on insects (adult and larval form) including grasshoppers, crickets, beetles and wasps. During the day, they nest in the abandoned dens that other animals have lived in, or in brush piles or hollowed logs, or underneath buildings. Photo by Smithsonian Wild. In general, adults range more widely than juveniles, males more widely than females. Striped and spotted skunks, which are both found in Mississippi, are among the most common and widely distributed mammals in North America. Striped skunks are omnivorous. [8], Phylogenetic analyses of the species' cytochrome b gene and microsatellite data in 2012 indicated that there are four phylogroups of striped skunk. Tail: 7.0 - 15. Male tail length ranged from 8.7 to 11.0 (220-280 mm) in Minnesota, and female tail length ranged from 7.9 to 10.4 (200-265 mm) in Minnesota. Population. Eastern Canada; Nova Scotia, Quebec, and northern Ontario. Male total length ranged from 24.8 to 29.9 (630-760 mm) in Minnesota, and female total length ranged from 21.2 to 25.6 (540-650 mm) in Minnesota. [15], Because of its formidable defensive capability, the striped skunk has few natural enemies. They move at a deliberate walk, slow trot or clumsy gallop. Protect local waterways by using fewer pesticides when caring for your garden or lawn. Skunks are host to fleas, lice, mites, ticks and various internal parasites. And now, this skunk group has a few more members. 0 inches Weight: six to 14 pounds. They prefer open areas with a variety of habitats and inhabit particularly mixed woodlands, brushy corners, and open fields interspersed with wooded ravines and rocky outcrops. Wildlife researchers have estimated an average of one skunk per 10 acres of prime habitat and 13.5 skunks per square mile of agricultural land. [1], Striped skunks are polygamous omnivores with few natural predators, save for birds of prey. I studied habitat, site, and population parameters of striped skunks, based on . Black coat with white stripe that begins on forehead and then divides in two. After three weeks, their scent glands become functional; at four weeks, their eyes open; and at about two months the young are weaned and ready to leave the den for nighttime hunting forays. Picture a skunk. 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