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Science

Smelling Like a Skunk
by Margaret Etherton

Everyone knows skunks are famous for their smell. But do skunks smell as bad as cartoons and people say they do? A skunk can be smelt by a human nearly over half a mile away and even further by other animals. Fortunately skunks don't have an odor all the time. This is lucky for their animal neighbors with highly sensitive noses. It is lucky for humans, too!

Not many mammals use an odor for defense. But for skunks, odor protects them against attackers. If it feels threatened, the skunk hisses or stamps its feet to warn away a predator. If this doesn't work, a skunk may do a handstand to scare away its enemy. Only as a last resort does it spray an oily, yellow liquid called musk. This is the skunk's way of sending a message to stay away. The musk is a mixture of the chemicals butane, sulphur, and methane and smells like rotten eggs. The stench is so strong it would probably knock you over.

Skunks don't waste their musk. They store five or six shots and make more musk all the time. Their aim is pretty good as they hit anything closer than six feet. Unfortunately, the smell hangs around anything they spray for many weeks. If you get spray in your eyes it is very painful.

The skunk looks a bit like a fluffy-tailed cat. Though some are brown, grey, or cream-colored, most skunks have black and white fur that warns others—I have a dangerous weapon and I am not afraid to use it!

There are several kinds of skunks: spotted, hog-nosed, hooded, and striped. They each have different patterns. Yet within the same species, no two individuals look exactly the same. The smallest skunk species is the spotted skunks. They have many white spots and stripes on their backs. This species is the one that can do handstands. They walk on their front paws towards the enemy, balancing like an acrobat in a circus. The hog-nosed skunk has a single thick stripe, from the top of its head to the tip of its tail. The striped skunk has two white stripes on its body that merge toward the back of its head. The hooded skunk is closely related to the striped skunk. But the hooded skunk has softer fur, a ruff of longer hair on its upper neck, and a much longer tail.

Skunks rest in the day under a bush or in a burrow. At night they come out to scrounge for food. They eat a wide variety of food—mice, birds, eggs, insects, fruit, berries, and even garbage. But their favourite food is rats. Because they eat almost anything, they are called omnivores.

Skunks are found all over the United States, where they like to live in fields and woods. But some have migrated to the suburbs. They can be found living near farmhouses and buildings.

Usually skunks live alone, although in the north they live together in burrows for the winter months. They mate in the spring and then split up. The females make new burrows to have their babies. They have litters of between two and nine babies, which the mothers protect very carefully from predators.

In spite of their stink, skunks are hunted and eaten by owls, foxes, and coyotes. Years ago, humans trapped and killed them. Today, skunks are mostly protected. In many states, you are not allowed to keep them as pets; but in others, you must have a permit and a health certificate to ensure that the animal is well cared for.

Would you like to meet a skunk? Not a good idea! Though it's a pretty animal, you may want to stay away. If frightened its "little message" could leave you smelling like … well … smelling like a skunk!

References:

Bailey, Jill. Factfile of Mammals: 200 Mammals From Around the World. London: Andromeda Oxford Ltd., 1996.

MacDonald, David, ed. The New Encyclopedia of Mammals. London: Oxford University Press, 2001.

Internet:

http://www.bear-tracker.com/stskunk.html
http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/showSpeciesIMG.asp?imageID=18708
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Spilogale_gracilis.htm