![]() ![]() Some species of skunk even spring into a handstand before spraying, which puts the skunk’s warning markings on full display. If threatened, skunks stamp their front feet, lift their tail, and growl. To employ this scent bomb, a skunk turns around and blasts its foe with a foul mist that can travel as far as 3 meters (10 feet). A skunk’s spray is an oily liquid produced by glands under its large tail. Skunks are legendary for their powerful predator-deterrent-a hard-to-remove, horrible-smelling spray. Skunks can only run about 16 kilometers (10 miles) per hour and will not try to outrun a predator. Mother skunks are known to teach this behavior to their young. The skunk scratches at the front of the beehive and eats the guard bees that come out to investigate. Skunks are one of the primary predators of the honeybee, relying on their thick fur to protect them from stings. In settled areas, skunks also seek garbage left by humans. ![]() They also commonly eat berries, roots, leaves, grasses, fungi and nuts. They eat insects and larvae, earthworms, grubs, rodents, lizards, salamanders, frogs, snakes, fish, birds, moles and eggs. Skunks are omnivorous, eating both plants and animals and changing their diets as the seasons change. They are crepuscular which means they come out mostly at dusk and dawn. Skunks are solitary animals when not breeding, though in the colder parts of their range, they may gather in communal dens for warmth. They have moderately elongated bodies with relatively short, well-muscled legs and long front claws for digging.Īlthough they have excellent senses of smell and hearing, they have poor vision, being unable to see objects more than about 3 meters (10 feet) away. Some skunks are striped, and some are spotted or have swirl patterns on their fur. Skunk species vary in size from about 40 to 94 centimeters (15.6 to 37 inches) long and in weight from about 0.5 kilograms (1.1 lb) (spotted skunks) to 8.2 kilograms (18 pounds) (hog-nosed skunks).Īlthough the most common fur color is black and white, some skunks are brown or grey and a few are cream-colored. In captivity, they may live for up to 10 years. ![]() Their average lifespan in the wild is 3 years. Skunks live in forest edges, woodlands, grasslands and deserts. The skunk family includes 10 species of skunks found in North and South America and 2 species of stink badgers found in southeast Asia. Skunks are mammals, usually black with a white stripe on their back and a fluffy tail. ![]()
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