striped skunk population by statestriped skunk population by state

One Gayley Avenue Once they are weaned, the young skunks will follow their mother in a single file line and learn to forage and hunt. Fun Facts: The familiar striped skunk of North America (think of the cartoon Pep Le Pew) has a lesser-known cousin: the spotted skunk. In colder weather, they may eat voles, young birds, or bird eggs. About the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Two New Striped Skunks Make Debut At Small Mammal House, A Quack-filled Roll Call: Meet the Ducks of the Bird House, #CheetahCubdate 7: How to Enrich and Train Cheetahs, New at the Zoo: Meet Our Gray Seal, Jo-Jo. The size of a skunk's home range will vary based on the amount of food and shelter available in the area. Cornfields are good feeding areas, where skunks forage for grasshoppers, grubs and beetles. By the late Pleistocene (70,00014,500 years ago), the striped skunk was widely distributed throughout the southern United States, and it expanded northwards and westwards by the Holocene (10,0004,500 years ago) following the retreat of the Wisconsin glacier. Although they may cover several miles each night while hunting, established individuals rarely wander more than a half-mile from their home burrows. Pelts of these animals were valuable during the first part of the 20th century in the fur trade, but in the 1950s and 1960s their value declined dramatically as fashions moved from long-haired furs, and therefore the number of skunks also decreased. Cut back on single-use goods, and find creative ways to reuse products at the end of their life cycle. Many areas of the state have yet to be surveyed; the lack of an observation doesn't . The spray, which can not only offend the nose but sting the eyes, can reach 12 feet from the skunk; the mist of the spray and the odor can travel considerably further. Striped skunks can experience delayed implantation lasting up to 19 days. Skunks are susceptible to several diseases including canine distemper and most notably, rabies. Skunks dig out bumblebee nests and scratch at the entrances of beehives, catching and eating any honeybees that fly out. Striped skunks are polygamous omnivores with few natural predators, save for birds of prey. Cases of rabies in this species are generally epizootic and recurrent. Large, bushy black and white tail. The Great Horned Owl is the chief predator of skunks; the skunk's odor does not seem to deter them. [11] Prior to the First World War, skunk pelts were primarily shipped to Europe until better methods of deodorizing and processing the skins lead to increased interest in selling them for North American consumption. Striped skunks have black fur with a wide, white stripe from the head all the way down the back on the body. . Skunks are chiefly nocturnal, hunting from dusk until dawn, except during the breeding season when they are frequently observed during daylight hours. Skunks make a variety of sounds, including hisses, growls, squeals, soft coos and churrings. Striped skunks are classified as unprotected species in Minnesota. [13] The meat was prized by Chinese immigrants, who also bought skunk gall bladders for medicinal purposes. Because skunks are difficult to kill without having them discharge their musk (and thus ruin their fur) they were typically dispatched with a paralyzing blow to the lower back or drowned if caught in a box trap. After mating, the female no longer associates with the male and becomes aggressive towards him through vocalizing, stamping her feet and sometimes fighting. Rabies outbreaks have affected populations in Illinois. Their tail is bushy and long, with long white and black fur. However, roadside and lawn mowing, or any maintenance practice which prevents the development of a forest canopy, favors the continued existence of skunks. Some female yearlings will stay with their mothers into the coming winter. Striped skunks are typically found at elevations below 5,900 feet (1,800 meters). A Striped Skunk in Wicomico County, Maryland, 2011. Weight: 3.5 - 10.0 pounds. A Striped Skunk in Queen Annes County, Maryland, 2020. Skunks have small heads, with small eyes and ears and a pointed nose. [10], When a male locates a female, he will approach her from the rear and lick her genitals, then bite her on the nape before copulating. Common Name: Striped Skunk. & Verts, B. J. SmithsoniansNationalZoo& ConservationBiologyInstitute To one early 20th century naturalist, it was a mixture of perfume musk, essense of garlic, burning sulfur and sewer gas magnified a thousand times. A surfeit is the word for a group of skunks. [4] Skunks are notable for being easy to trap, even approaching traps they had been previously caught in. [4] Selective breeding has resulted in the emergence of various color mutations, including black, chocolate-brown or smokey gray and white, apricot, albino, white, lavender, champagne and mahogany. [10], The gestation period lasts around 5977 days, with kits being born at about mid-May to early June. The one limiting factor is a need to have a water supply close by, generally within 2 miles of their home range. Their top speed is about 10 miles per hour. Striped skunks mate in February and early March. A very large subspecies with a heavily furred, medium-sized tail. Dens are usually short and shallow, a few yards long, and a yard underground. Males are, on average, 15 percent larger and heavier than females. A white triangle can be seen on their face starting at the forehead and pointing down like an arrowhead to their nose. The eyes open after around three weeks, and are weaned after 4256 days. Cipriani, D. (2011) "Skunks are affectionate, intelligent pets for owners who offer the proper care.". In spring, summer and early fall, a skunk may den in several different burrows; in winter, it tends to use just one. This association likely resulted in the striped skunk's subsequent unfavorable reputation as a poultry thief, despite it being a much less destructive animal than the true polecat. For this reason, it is not wise to feed a house cat outside your home after dark. The great horned owl, which lacks a well-developed sense of smell and apparently is not bothered by the skunks musk, is a predator. Their senses of sight, smell and hearing have been judged poor to fair compared with those of other wild mammals. Young, called kits or kittens, are born helpless, with eyes opening at about 3 weeks and weaning occurring at 6 to 7 weeks. Description. Although it will forage for short periods in winter, it primarily depends on its fat reserves in cold weather, and can lose as much as 50% of its body weight. The Striped skunk has narrow white stripes located at the center of its face, which differ in length and width across individuals. Winter home ranges tend to be smaller than summer home ranges since skunks typically stay close to their dens. Striped skunks at the Smithsonian's National Zoo consume a diet consisting primarily of leafy greens, vegetables and insects. Striped and spotted skunks, which are both found in Mississippi, are among the most common and widely distributed mammals in North America. They are nocturnal animals (active mostly after dark). Striped skunks are typically docile mammals that tolerate humans in close proximity without showing aggression. Mammalian predators typically avoid skunks, unless they are starving. Found up to about 2000 feet on the west side of the state. [2], Striped skunks are known to use their sharp claws to tear apart rotting logs to find grubs, dig in the soil for insects, and pin down prey. Prairie region of Illinois, western Indiana, and eastern Iowa. Skunks live in a variety of habitats. Protect local waterways by using fewer pesticides when caring for your garden or lawn. This striped skunk caught a vole. The type locality is in eastern Canada. [7][2], The earliest fossil finds attributable to Mephitis were found in the Broadwater site in Nebraska, dating back to the early Pleistocene less than 1.8million years ago. Skunks fill various roles in legends and may be featured as heroes, villains, tricksters, or monsters. Male body weight ranged from 5.5 lb to 9.9 lb (2.5-4.5 kg) in Minnesota and female body weight ranged from 4 to 9 lb (1.8-4.1 kg) in Minnesota. The Winnebago people used the skunk to symbolize vanity, being beautiful on the outside but ugly on the inside. [4] Emphasis was placed on selectively breeding the tamest and darkest colored skunks. Gestation is for around 59 to 77 days, starting with delayed implantation that can be as long as 19 days. The striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) is a skunk of the genus Mephitis that occurs across much of North America, including southern Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. Until the early 1990s, Minnesota dominated regional harvest. It has broad stripes that cover its body length, although the coloration may vary. The most common skunks in North America, striped skunks are terrestrial animals that can survive in a variety of habitats and land types. [10], The striped skunk may dig its own dens, though it will appropriate those abandoned by other animals should the opportunity present itself. Skunks have been the most commonly confirmed rabies species, other than raccoons, during the spread of raccoon rabies throughout Southern New York. Striped skunks live throughout North America from southern Canada into northern Mexico. Spotted skunks were common around farms, and state harvest peaked at 19,400 in 1946, before populations plummeted. The eyes are small and the ears are short. Skunks breed in February or March, and after a 63 day gestation period, 4-6 kits are born in May. The striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) is the most common skunk in Texas and North America. Stink badgers are preyed upon by civets, cats, and humans. They prefer open areas, with abundant populations observed on agricultural lands. The subclade that colonized the Great Basin later expanded eastwards across the northern Rocky Mountains during the Holocene, recolonising the Great Plains and making contact with the southern phylogroup. Some farmers welcome their presence, realizing that these small predators eat many pest insects and rodents. It is currently listed as least concern by the IUCN on account of its wide range and ability to adapt to human-modified environments. Skunks can be found throughout the Great Lakes region, with populations secure in all states and Ontario. Their diet includes insects, fish, crustaceans, small mammals, fruits, nuts, grasses leaves, and carrion (dead animals). Skunks are vulnerable to a variety of internal and external parasites. It persists in much of its original range and populations are healthy. During the breeding season, males may travel as far as 8 km (4.9 mi) at night. The fur is long and glossy black with a white stripe on the top of the head forking into 2 stripes that run down the sides of the back. Wanders onto beaches at low tide eating stranded animals. [10][11] The Cree and Ojibwe word shee-gawk is the root word for Chicago, which means 'skunk-land'. "Mephitis mephitis" (PDF). The Latin name for skunk, Mephitis mephitis, means "double foul odor.". 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