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Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their . Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginger colored, but all have Aposematism.
While related to and other members of the weasel family, skunks have as their closest relatives the Old World .
In 1634, a skunk was described in The Jesuit Relations:
In Southern United States dialect, the term polecat is sometimes used as a colloquialism nickname for a skunk, even though are only distantly related to skunks.
As a verb, is used to describe the act of overwhelmingly defeating an opponent in a game or competition. Skunk is also used to refer to certain strong-smelling Cannabis strain whose smell has been compared to that of a skunk's spray.
Although the most common fur color is black and white, some skunks are brown or grey and a few are cream-colored. All skunks are striped, even from birth. They may have a single thick stripe across the back and tail, two thinner stripes, or a series of white spots and broken stripes (in the case of the spotted skunk).
Skunks are not true hibernators in the winter, but do den up for extended periods of time. However, they remain generally inactive and feed rarely, going through a dormant stage. Over winter, multiple females (as many as 12) huddle together; males often den alone. Often, the same winter den is repeatedly used.
Although they have excellent senses of smell and hearing, they have poor vision, being unable to see objects more than about away, making them vulnerable to roadkill. They are short-lived; their lifespan in the wild can reach seven years, with an average of six years. ADW: Mephitis mephitis: INFORMATION. Animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu. Retrieved on 5 April 2012. Virtual Nature Trail. Striped Skunk. The Pennsylvania State University (2002). In captivity, they may live for up to 10 years.
Before giving birth (usually in May), the female excavates a den to house her litter of four to seven kits.
Skunks are , with a gestation period of about 66 days.
When born, skunk kits are blind and deaf, but already covered by a soft layer of fur. About three weeks after birth, they first open their eyes; the kits are weaned about two months after birth. They generally stay with their mother until they are ready to mate, roughly at one year of age.
The mother is protective of her kits, spraying at any sign of danger. The male plays no part in raising the young.
In settled areas, skunks also seek garbage left by humans. Less often, skunks may be found acting as , eating bird and rodent carcasses left by cats or other animals. Pet owners, particularly those of cats, may experience a skunk finding its way into a garage or basement where pet food is kept. Skunks commonly dig holes in lawns in search of grubs and worms.
Skunks use their long claws to break apart rotting logs to find insects that live within them. They also use those claws to help dig for insects, which leaves behind pits, which are easy signs of foraging. The claws also help with pinning down live and active prey.
Skunks are one of the primary predators of the honeybee, relying on their thick fur to protect them from stings. The skunk scratches at the front of the beehive and eats the guard bees that come out to investigate. Mother skunks are known to teach this behavior to their young.
Skunks carry just enough for five or six successive sprays – about 15 cm3 – and require up to ten days to produce another supply. Biology and Control of Skunks. Agriculture and Rural Development. Government of Alberta, Canada. 1 June 2002 Their bold black and white coloration makes their appearance memorable. It is to a skunk's advantage to warn possible off without expending scent: black and white aposematic warning coloration aside, threatened skunks will go through an elaborate routine of hisses, foot-stamping, and tail-high deimatic or threat postures before resorting to spraying. Skunks usually do not spray other skunks, except among males in the mating season. If they fight over den space in autumn, they do so with teeth and claws.
Most of the Americas, such as wolf, , and , seldom attack skunks, presumably out of fear of being sprayed. The exceptions are reckless predators whose attacks fail once they are sprayed, dogs, and the great horned owl, which is the skunk's only regular predator. In one case, the remains of 57 were found in a single great horned owl nest.
Skunk spray is composed mainly of three low-molecular-weight thiol compounds, ( E)-2-butene-1-thiol, 3-methyl-1-butanethiol, and 2-quinolinemethanethiol, as well as acetate of these. These compounds are detectable by the human nose at concentrations of only 11.3 parts per billion.
[[File: Pet Albino Skunk on a harness.jpg|thumb|A pet albino skunk on a walk]]
In the UK, skunks can be kept as pets, but the Animal Welfare Act 2006 made it illegal to remove their scent glands.
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