Skunks are animals that people both love and hate. To look at them, you’d think they are cuddly little critters. They have cute faces that look almost like those of cats and long black and white fur that seems like it would be soft to pet. You might even think, “Flower on the movie Bambi is sweet, and Pepe LePew on cartoons doesn’t seem so bad. Certainly, I could walk up to a skunk and play with it.” Yet getting too close to a skunk is a mistake…a big stinky mistake. Though they may look cute and sweet, they hardly smell so! Skunks produce one of the most powerful odors of all animals.

Black and White with a Long Bushy Tail

Skunks are easy to spot because almost all of them look the same. Most of the 12 species or types of skunks have black, bushy fur with a white stripe running down their long tails. There are a few types of skunks that have brown, grey or red fur and one that has what looks like spots instead of a stripe (but is actually an uneven stripe), but for the most part all skunks look pretty much the same. While their appearances may be very much alike, their sizes can be quite different. A skunk can be anywhere from 15.6 inches long to 37 inches long and can weigh between 1.1 pounds and 18 pounds. Skunks are mostly found in Canada, the United States, and Mexico though there are a few kinds that live in the Philippines and Indonesia.

Life as a Skunk

For the most part, skunks like to live by themselves. It’s not very often that you’ll see a group of skunks together. Usually, they only travel in groups when the weather is cold. This way they can sleep close together to stay warm.

Skunks are also nocturnal animals. This means that they sleep during the day and are active when it is dark outside. Skunks cannot see very well, but they have excellent senses of smell and hearing. It’s not surprising that skunks would rather move around during the night knowing that sight is not their best sense. In fact, most skunks are killed when they happen to wander on to roads and are hit by cars. They cannot see where they are at very well and walk into these dangerous areas.

Skunk Chow

Skunks are omnivores meaning that they eat both plants and animals. They can be found eating nuts, berries, roots, leaves, grasses, and even some types of fungi (mushroom-like plants). For animals, they enjoy dining on rodents such as mice and rats, insects, earthworms, frogs, lizards, toads, and birds. Sometimes when they are unable to find live animals to eat they become scavengers eating dead animals left behind. When they live close to people’s homes, skunks sometimes will even get into trash cans eating garbage.

When skunks eat, they do not limit themselves to small meals. They like to “pig out” on whatever food they can find. When there is a large amount of food available skunks get very fat very quickly.

Oooh, that Smell!

What’s the first thing you think of when you see a skunk? If you answered “stink” then you’re like most people. Many of us connect skunks with their smell. In fact, the name “skunk” comes from the Algonquin Indian word “seganuku” which means “one who squirts”. The stinky odor that you smell when skunks are around comes from a liquid that they can spray from two spots near their tails. This “skunk juice” is a mixture of sulfur chemicals. Sulfur is a mineral that smells a lot like rotten eggs which is why skunk spray is so stinky. Watch out if you get any of this juice on you because it is not easy to get off! Skunk spray is very difficult to remove from clothes, skin, and hair. Though lots of pet owners swear that you can get a skunk’s smell out of a dog’s hair by washing him in tomato juice, the best way to remove the scent is by washing the stinky area with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dishwashing soap. This mixture changes the chemicals in the skunk spray so that it no longer stinks.

Not only does skunk juice smell bad, but it also stings. A person who happens to get this fluid on his skin will feel like he’s been stung by a bee. The burning feeling caused by skunk spray is so strong that if you were to get it in your eyes, you might become blind for a short period of time!

Even though it might seem to people who have been sprayed by skunks that the reason for their stinky smell is to annoy us, there is actually a much more important reason why these animals make and squirt their juice. Skunks use their spray to protect themselves from predators (other animals who are trying to attack them). When the average skunk believes that another animal is about to hurt him, he will warn it to get away by first stomping his front legs or running forwards and then backward. Some types of skunks will also hiss or stand up on their front legs. If the predator does not back away, the skunk shoots a cloud of his smelly juice into the air in front of the other animal so that it will have to walk through it to get to him. Skunks are able to spray their juice up to 15 feet. When the predator comes near the cloud of spray, he usually is so bothered by the smell that he leaves the skunk alone. The odor from the spray is so powerful that it even keeps bears from attacking skunks!

While skunks are able to use this smelly liquid to protect themselves, they try not to use it too often. They only have enough juice in their bodies at a time to spray 5 or 6 times. It takes a skunk’s body at least 2 weeks to make more juice. Luckily, once a predator has been sprayed once by a skunk he doesn’t usually forget the event. Many animals will stay away from skunks because they remember their horrible smell. As soon as they see a white stripe on a black body, they will run away!

Beyond the Stink

Skunks aren’t just stinky animals. They can be very helpful to people. Because they enjoy eating insects and rats sometimes people will purposely put skunks in their yards, on their farms or in their barns to help keep the number of pesky critters down. Some people even enjoy keeping skunks as pets!

Beyond the Stink

Skunks aren’t just stinky animals. They can be very helpful to people. Because they enjoy eating insects and rats sometimes people will purposely put skunks in their yards, on their farms or in their barns to help keep the number of pesky critters down. Some people even enjoy keeping skunks as pets!

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/is-that-skunk/do-skunks-make-good-pets/4569/

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