There isn’t a
person who sees the little cat like looking
black and white animal and knows instantaneously
that it is a skunk. Nature’s most repulsive
animal is so well known and not just because of
its foul odor. This is the animal that is often
depicted in cartoons, and is used as an example
of how bad someone must smell.
The skunk is mostly black with white stripes
that begin on its back and run down the body to
the end of the tail. Most adults range in length
from a little more to a foot all the way up to
three feet long. Smaller skunks weigh as little
as a pound and can weigh as much as 18. The legs
of the skunk are very strong, especially the
back ones, and they have very long, sharp claws
on their front paws that they use for digging.
These animals are opportunistic omnivores,
meaning that they will eat just about whatever
they can find. During the year they will
frequently change their diet to accommodate what
is available for them to find. When spring comes
they often will eat insects, especially in the
larval form. For example, maggots are a
particularly tasty treat to a skunk. They will
also eat other kinds of organisms, like rodents,
frogs, birds, lizards, and moles. If they can
find them, eggs are one of the most common kinds
of foods that they love to eat. They will
usually wait for the mother to leave the eggs
while it goes to forage for food, swoop in to
take the eggs and eat them. They will also eat
such things as berries, nuts, leaves, and
grasses.
When near residential areas they will eat
garbage out of people’s cans. They will even
partake in what the family pet is being served.
Skunks are burrowing animals, which makes their
front paws very handy. They will sleep in their
burrows that they make during the day and come
out at night. They are not night owls however.
The skunk will come out during the day, they
just prefer to hunt at night. During one day’s
time a skunk can go as far as 20 kilometers.
These animals have fairly bad vision, but their
sense of smell and hearing is amazing. At night
these senses come in handy more for hunting and
that is why they like to hunt at night.
Skunks reproduce during the spring. The
gestation period is 60-70 days. Just before the
babies are born the mother will dig a den to
have her litter in. A typical litter is four to
seven kits.
The anal scent glands are the most commonly
known part about the skunk. This is used for
defense and gives off the most pungent smell one
can imagine. Read more:
Skunk
Control,
how to
kill skunks.
