Pasture, farmland, and hay crops, especially along fence lines, are also utilized. They may be found in open, exposed areas, though they seek cover in brushy, weedy stream and gulch bottoms or canyons. They are quite at home in a variety of landscapes, from wooded areas to grasslands and agriculture fields, and even in urban areas, among humans. Just about anywhere! Striped skunks make a living throughout North America, from southern Canada into northern Mexico. Then, pour yourself a glass of tomato juice and enjoy the fresh air! The oxygen released by the foaming neutralizes the ungodly smell, and the detergent removes the oily part that holds the thiols in fur or skin. Let stand for about five minutes, then rinse. Mix ingredients, and quickly apply while still foaming. While the noxious “thiols” in skunk spray may persist for days, here is one recipe for a solution to oxidize the offending smell on people or pets:Īdd one quarter cup of cup of baking soda to one quart of three-percent hydrogen peroxide and one teaspoon of liquid shampoo (or pet shampoo).
One of the noxious ingredients makes it somewhat waterproof, so bathing has little effect on ridding the victim of the stench. This legendary tactic leaves no permanent damage to its victims, but the stench may linger for days and the horrifying memory of the smell lasts much, much longer. Spewing an oily, yellowish liquid produced by anal glands under its fluffy tail is a stroke of evolutionary genius. When push comes to shove, it is one of the most effective defense mechanisms known. This “shot gun” approach deters most predators. If it is being chased and cannot see the predator, the skunk emits an atomized cloud of stench that the chaser must run through. If the threat persists, a skunk can position itself in a U-shape so that its front and back ends are facing the trouble-which ensures the spray will hit the mark, without getting a drop on itself. In response to threats, skunks first try to escape, and if that’s not possible, they hiss and stamp their feet. Despite the skunk’s well-known stinky strategy, plenty of predators would kill to feast on this black and white creature. Males are usually a bit larger than females. Their body size fluctuates throughout the year, as they may lose up to half their body weight while holed up during the cold winter months. Striped skunks have short, stocky legs with five toes on each foot. Striped skunks closely resemble hooded skunks, confounding researchers trying to study them.
Skunks are born with their stripes even before their fur grows in! However, the fur pattern varies across its vast range, from completely white or completely black. Its bushy, black tail with some white “highlights” is about half the length of its body. It also has a white bar on its forehead, between its eyes. Most of its fur is black, with a dazzling white stripe that starts at its head and splits into a wide V-shape at its rump. Striped skunks are about the size of house cats, with small triangular-shaped heads, small ears, and dark eyes. Skunks, as a group, inhabit North America and South America (their Old World relatives are the aptly named stink badgers). This page will concentrate on the striped skunk. There is considerable variation in coat pattern among them, but they have a great deal in common, including their debilitating olfactory abilities. While the striped skunk, with its dramatic white V of fur from its head down its body, may be the most well-known, there are nine more skunk species in this family ( Conepatus, Mephitis, Spilogale), as well as two stink badger species ( Mydaus) inhabiting Asia. Skunks have “trained” just about all the wildlife in their habitat-except domesticated dogs!-to steer clear of them, due to their potential for dousing perceived threats in a lingering, noxious odor. Whether striped, spotted, hog-nosed, or hooded, these nocturnal creatures will likely stop you in your tracks.
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