![]() ![]() ![]() The glands are connected by ducts to two small nipples that are hidden when the tail is down and exposed when the tail is raised. The glands are about the size of a grape and contain about a tablespoon of musk, enough for five or six discharges. The scent of the skunk is produced by a thick, yellow, oily fluid, or musk, secreted by two glands located on either side of the anus at the base of the tail. On the prairies and in the most northern parts of the range, spring emergence is somewhat later. Any grouping of sex and age may be found together in a den.īy late February, in some parts of Canada, skunks begin to awaken from their winter state of torpor, or inactivity, and are fully active by the end of March. They may emerge briefly from their den at any time during winter. Males are active until the temperature reaches about -10° C and may join their own family, other males, or may den alone. Usually the mother and young den together, entering the den when the temperature reaches about 0° C. As many as 20 skunks have been found in one den, but the number is typically much fewer. Males become more active during the breeding season, when they may travel 8 km in a night.īy autumn skunks have acquired a heavy layer of fat, and in November or December they select a deep den in which to spend the winter. They forage within about 800 m of the den, but may venture as far away as 2 km in a night. ![]() Skunks may leave their den to forage, or search for food, at any hour of the day, but are usually abroad from late afternoon or evening through the night. A skunk gathers leaves by placing them under its body and then shuffling along to the den with the leaves held between its legs as it moves. The leaves may also be used to plug the openings to the den in cold weather. One of the chambers is lined with leaves and used for a nest. There may be from one to five well-hidden openings that lead to a system of tunnels and chambers. If a skunk digs its own den it is usually simple, but one taken over from another animal may be quite elaborate. For information on obtaining such a trap, contact the local humane society. Once the skunk is captured the trap may be covered with several burlap bags until it is transported some kilometres away and the skunk released. Such traps permit easy handling of the skunks and transportation to more suitable localities for release. To dispose of unwanted or locally harmful skunks without harming them, box traps may be used. Skunks that den under buildings should be trapped outside. The latter practice is especially common in farming areas. They will also use stumps, rock piles, or refuse heaps, or will even set up housekeeping under a house or porch or in a cellar. Skunks generally live in the abandoned dens of woodchucks, foxes, or other mammals of similar or larger size and only occasionally excavate their own dens. The skunk prefers open areas of mixed forests and grasslands and has very little fear of humans, so it has benefited from the new habitats created by the opening of the forests that accompanied settlement and agriculture. Unlike many other animals it has adapted well to the presence of humans, and its present range is much expanded since primeval times. The striped skunk is one of the most useful small mammals that inhabit the mixed farmlands, grasslands, and forests of Canada. Indeed its scientific name, mephitis, is a Latin word meaning bad odour.Īn angry skunk will growl or hiss, and stamp its front feet rapidly. The skunk is outstanding for this characteristic, however, and can discharge a bad smelling fluid to defend itself. Skunks belong to the weasel family Mustelidae, all of whose members have well-developed scent glands and a musky odour. It moves slowly and deliberately and depends for safety not on running away or on remaining inconspicuous, but on its scent glands. The skunk has long, straight claws for digging out the burrows of mice, ripping apart old logs for grubs and larvae, and digging in the sand for turtle eggs. The tail is mostly black, but the stripes may extend down it, usually to a tuft of white at the tip. The thick, glossy fur is black, with a thin white stripe down the centre of the face and a broad white stripe beginning on the back of the head, forking at the shoulders and continuing as a white stripe along each side of the back to the base of the tail. Its small head fits conveniently, but sometimes too snugly, into enticing open jars. The striped skunk Mephitis mephitis is about the size of a cat, but has a stout body, a rather small head, short legs, and a bushy tail. ![]()
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