They prefer open areas, with abundant populations observed on agricultural lands. Duluth, MN 55811, NRRI Coleraine[emailprotected] [21], The striped skunk is commonly featured in the myths and oral traditions of Native Americans. Skunks are susceptible to distemper and rabies. Reproduction. Their senses of sight, smell and hearing have been judged poor to fair compared with those of other wild mammals. The Winnebago people used the skunk to symbolize vanity, being beautiful on the outside but ugly on the inside. Population Trends To help assess population trends, we can look at regional furbearer harvest data, methods . Habitat: Occurs around rocky, dense habitat, including fencerows, shrubby field borders, and farmland. Go to Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Trapping may help minimize the impacts of disease on a skunk population. Total length: 20 to 28 inches. New England and Middle Atlantic States; south to Virginia; west to Indiana. Each year the New York State hunting and trapping regulation guides remind hunters and trappers that the striped skunk is a valuable furbearing resource. Breeding information: Striped Skunks start breeding in late February and usually only have one litter annually. The regulations allow only a limited, open harvest season. Members are our strongest champions of animal conservation and wildlife research. In Kansas, the striped skunk is recognized as a leading rabies vector, often accounting for 80 percent of more of the animals that test positive for the disease each year. Skunks are intelligent and usually good-natured. Striped skunks reach reproductive maturity when they are 10 months old. Size: 18-32 inches long; up to 8 lbs. The average lifespan of striped skunks in the wild is 7 years. A skunks pelt is composed of soft, wavy underfur overlain with long, coarse guard hairs. Skunks are capable of breeding in their first year. Skunk pelt prices may have doubled from about 1939 through the early 1940s, but they were never as valuable as red fox. In summer, they feed heavily on insects (adult and larval form) including grasshoppers, crickets, beetles and wasps. Young striped skunks reach sexual maturity at about 10 months. Two subsequent subclades were formed during the Sangamonian interglacial on either side of the Sierra Nevada. Special Requests to Use State Game Lands Information, Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP), HUNTING:July. The skunk connection in these genres may be due to the term "funk" being a term for strong odor. As one of the most recognizable mammals anywhere, striped skunks are known for their black fur and characteristic white stripes on their head and down their back. Tool use, the manipulation of one object to change the state of another, is found in <1% of animal taxa and most often observed in captivity. Their practice of digging leaves small-but-noticeable pits in the ground, which can provide evidence of their presence in an area. A white triangle can be seen on their face starting at the forehead and pointing down like an arrowhead to their nose. Found up to about 2000 feet on the west side of the state. The striped skunk is a black and white mammal about the size of a house cat. Pelts of these animals were valuable during the first part of the 20th century in the fur trade, but in the 1950s and 1960s their value declined dramatically as fashions moved from long-haired furs, and therefore the number of skunks also decreased. After three weeks, their scent glands become functional; at four weeks, their eyes open; and at about two months the young are weaned and ready to leave the den for nighttime hunting forays. The great horned owl, which lacks a well-developed sense of smell and apparently is not bothered by the skunks musk, is a predator. [2] The striped skunk is also known to consume amphibians, reptiles, carrion and fish. Skunks are a major reservoir for rabies and other parasites. Picture a skunk. In colder weather, they may eat voles, young birds, or bird eggs. The most frequently consumed insects include grasshoppers, beetles, crickets, caterpillars, other insect larvae and bees. Skunks. Keystone State. Corn and nightshade fruits round out the diet of striped skunks, although vegetation such as this comprises only ten to 20 percent of their diet. Eastern spotted skunk Scientific Name: Mephitis mephitis. The striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) is a skunk of the genus Mephitis that occurs across much of North America, including southern Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. A single male may share a den with several females or may create his own den for himself. Normally solitary, males and females get together for breeding in February and March. Pioneers found the striped skunk ( Mephitis mephitis) when they came to Ohio, although skunk numbers are far greater now. Stripes vary in length and width among individuals. A strong market for fur-trimmed cloth coats developed in the late 1930s as our country recovered from the Great Depression. Some harvesting continues today. In winter it is common for a single den to be occupied by multiple females and a single male. Striped skunks are typically found at elevations below 5,900 feet (1,800 meters). When threatened, it can spray its scent 10-15 feet; the smell can reach up to a mile away. They have a long, bushy tail made up of white and black hairs. [10] Although their musk is still undeveloped, kits of this age will instinctively assume the defensive stand position when threatened. Docile in nature, they are famous for their defense system of a bad-smelling spray that comes from two glands near the base of their tail. This disagreeable musk is secreted by glands at the base of the tail and can be aimed and sprayed at will. As the Maryland winter approaches, striped skunks begin looking for a den to spend the winter. Skunks have been the most commonly confirmed rabies species, other than raccoons, during the spread of raccoon rabies throughout Southern New York. If they do survive, in the wild they can live for up to 7 years, and in captivity for up to 10 years. The chemical makeup of skunk musk varies by species, but each version contains compounds called thiols that are responsible for the foul smell. Hunting and trapping are regulated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, regulations. This page is available in other languages. It is currently listed as least concern by the IUCN on account of its wide range and ability to adapt to human-modified environments. The Striped skunk is threatened by predation, disease, environmental conditions (such as a severe winter or a drought), chemicals, human activities, diseases like rabies and the associated control programs. Here, we report the observation of tentative tool use in a wild striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis), captured by a trail camera in the front yard of a hobby naturalist who shared the photographs on social media. Kits are able to follow their mother on hunting trips at two months, and soon after disperse. After mating, the female no longer associates with the male and becomes aggressive towards him through vocalizing, stamping her feet and sometimes fighting. Litters of 2-16 (usually 4-6) young are born in May or June. Skunks are placid and sluggish. Many a farmer arrived to pour the dregs of the milk strainer into the cat dish and found that one of the cats had a broad tail and a characteristic white "V" across its back. Skunks can be found throughout the Great Lakes region, with populations secure in all states and Ontario. Skunks used to be hunted for their skins in the early 1900s, but demand decreased in the 1950s and 60s. Most striped skunks do not survive their first year, succumbing to the weather or disease. Their diet is primarily insectivorous during the spring and summer seasons when grasshoppers, beetles, crickets, bees and other arthropods are abundant, then switches to a carnivorous diet during colder months. The novelty song "Dead Skunk" by Loudon Wainwright III was popular in the early 1970s. That describes North America's most common skunk, the striped skunk, but they also have smaller, spotted cousins. A very large subspecies with a heavily furred, medium-sized tail. Adult skunks are about two feet long, including a 7- to 10-inch tail. There's no reason to specify; you will undoubtedly find a few skunks just by traveling up and down the eastern side of the state. Males in particular are likely to be active aboveground periodically. Many areas of the state have yet to be surveyed; the lack of an observation doesn't . The the striped skunk in Tennessee is the most commone and it occurs state-wide. Skunks dig out bumblebee nests and scratch at the entrances of beehives, catching and eating any honeybees that fly out. Striped skunks are natives of North America and occur from northern Mexico to southern Canada. Female Striped Skunks give birth to six to eight babies once a year only during the month of May or June. The species has triangular shaped heads that taper to the nose, small round ears and black eyes. They have a long history of association with humans, having been trapped and captively bred for their fur[4] and kept as pets. They are easily identifiable by the white stripe running from head to tail and each individual has a unique pattern of stripes. Some populations, particularly in northwestern Illinois, prefer cultivated areas over uncultivated ones. Skunks often leave holes in the ground where they forage for insects or tear apart ground nests of small animals. A medium-sized subspecies with a very long tail. Common Name: Striped Skunk. [13] The meat was prized by Chinese immigrants, who also bought skunk gall bladders for medicinal purposes. Cases of rabies in this species are generally epizootic and recurrent. The bobcat is an adaptable predator that inhabits wooded areas, as well as semi-desert, urban edge, forest edges and swampland environments. Of the 3 skunks that underwent necropsy on 3 dpi, 2 had infectious virus in the turbinates but not in other tissues tested. If threatened, a skunk drums its forefeet on the ground, snarls, arches its back and raises its tail. They are hunted and trapped for their pelts in Tennessee. Skunks eat honeybees and wasps and often attack beehives. Size Total length: 14-24 inches; tail length: 4-11 inches; weight: -2 pounds (males are heavier than females). Their diet will vary depending on whats available during each season. Description. Skunk musk is generally harmless. Until the early 1990s, Minnesota dominated regional harvest. It is a stocky animal with short legs, a broad build and bushy tail. Hooded and hog-nosed skunks occupy ranges from the U.S. Southwest to southernmost Argentina and Peru. Juvenile skunks are capable of spraying at 8 days old, around two weeks before their eyes open. In warmer weather, they depend on insects such as grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles, crayfish, and worms, with occasional fruits and nuts. Striped skunks are found throughout Florida, except the Keys, and can be found in both natural and residential areas. Perhaps the value of skunk musk to the perfume industry, combined with the commercial use of their pelts, caused early legislators to give skunks special consideration. Such predators include cougars, coyotes, bobcats, badgers, and red and gray foxes. The gestation period lasts 62-66 days, but sometimes up to 75 days. Residential areas that have both lawns and large, mast producing shade trees often provide optimal habitat for skunks. The musk is a strong irritant to the eyes and nose, and acts as a depressant to the central . [4] Skunks are notable for being easy to trap, even approaching traps they had been previously caught in. One Gayley Avenue Measurements from Minnesota are from Hazard (1982), from Wisconsin are from Jackson (1961), and from the Eastern United States are from Hamilton and Whitaker (1998). Males during this period will cover much ground in their search for females, sometimes covering 4km (2.5mi) per night. 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