by Kevin R Newell

Created on: April 13, 2009

Skunks

Classification Kingdom - Animalia

Phylum - Chordata

Class - Mammalia

Order - Carnivora

Family - Mephitidae

Description

Most species of skunks are black and white with two white stripes lining their back to the tip of their bushy tails. There are several different species of skunk and they are not all black and white. Some are brown and others can be grey depending on the species and in which habitat it lives.

Within all the species the weight range starts from as little as 1kg up to 8 kg and they can be as small as 40cm to the bigger species up to 60cm in length. Skunks have a very unique defensive ability of spraying a strong, foul odor to repel predators or anything that gets to close.

Habitat

Skunks are very wide spread and the different species cover a wide range of habitats. They are found through out the Americas from as far north as the Canadian pine forests, central & Eastern American Rocky mountains right down to certain areas in Chile & Brazil on the Eastern side of South America.

As they cover such a wide area they also cover and inhabit very different terrains, from woodland areas to mountain ranges. They are able to do this because of there diverse dietary trends and being able to make the most of what foods are on offer in their environment. Again because of this ability to eat such an array of food they have started to become urbanized by living of the rubbish that us humans produce in our towns and cities.

Breeding

Skunks only reproduce once a year usually in the spring time. When they do they will give birth to a litter of up to seven Kitts. After the male and female have mated the male will often go in search of more females and leaves any females it mates with to bring up the Kitts alone. The mother will go through a pregnancy of up to 60 days and in this time she will prepare a den to give birth and raise the Kitts in. It will take up to two months for the Kitts to be fully weaned and a full year until they leave their mother after reaching sexual maturity. After this the family will separate and go their own way.

Food Habits

Skunks have a very vast diet which changes with the seasons. They are known to eat anything from mice, lizards, frogs, snakes, birds, bees, larvae and just about anything else living it can get its teeth around. They also forage on seasonal treats such as fungi, nuts and berries. Because of this diverse diet skunks are known as omnivores, meaning that they eat both other animals and plants.

Population Status

All species of Skunk are thriving and wide spread. Currently there is no threat level against any of the several skunk species.

Learn more about this author, Kevin R Newell.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.