STRIPED SKUNK

The striped skunk is a night-time hunter, conspicuously colored to deter its enemies. Skunks live in small groups, often sharing a burrow with the species that dug it, perhaps a fox or a racoon. Of all the animals that have warning coloration, the striped skunk's easily recognized white stripe makes it one of the most successful at deterring its predators. Its marking serves as a warning to intruders that they will be sprayed with foul-smelling fluid if they do not retreat.

HABITS

Striped skunks spend the day in small groups, sleeping in dens that they dig themselves or borrow from other animal species. They often share dens with foxes or racoons. The den is often occupied in summer by females and their young. At dusk, the skunks emerge from their den to forage for food. In towns and cities, skunks live in woodpiles, sheds, or under houses. In the country, they are often found in the open forest. Skunks deter their enemies by spraying a very offensive smelling fluid. It can cause temporary blindness, but its main purpose is to stop the intruder from breathing for a few seconds while the skunk escapes.

BREEDING

The breeding season for the striped skunk is February and March. Males begin to range widely at this time, often leaving their own territories in search of a mate. During mating season, the males are very excitable and spray large animals and humans at random.

The female skunk carries her young just over 2 months. Litter sizes range from three to ten, although the average number is four to five. The young skunks, called kits, are born blind and without fur. The female suckles the kits for 6-8 weeks until they can hunt for themselves. The young stay with their mother, often sharing a den with several families until the end of winter and the next mating season.

FOOD & FEEDING

Striped skunks are meat eaters, feeding mainly on large insects like crickets and grasshoppers and on small mammals. They also forage in the soil and among dead leaves, using their long front claws to dig up beetle grubs, earthworms, roots, and fungi. Skunks hunt by scent, sniffing slowly and carefully over the ground. Striped skunks will also eat nuts, fallen fruit, and the eggs of ground-nesting birds.