Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The claws also help with pinning down live and active prey. [14] Skunks are one of the primary predators of the honeybee, relying on their thick fur to protect them from stings. The skunk scratches at the front of the beehive and eats the guard bees that come out to investigate. [15] Mother skunks are known to teach this behavior to their young.
The twelve species of Mephitidae are split into four genera: the monotypic Conepatus, hog-nosed skunks; Mephitis, skunks; Mydaus, stink badgers; and Spilogale, spotted skunks. Mephitidae was traditionally a clade within the Mustelidae family, with the stink badgers combined with other badgers within the Melinae genus, but more recent genetic ...
Mephitidae is a family of mammals comprising the skunks and stink badgers. They are noted for the great development of their anal scent glands , which they use to deter predators. Skunks were formerly classified as a subfamily of the Mustelidae (the weasel family); however, in the 1990s, genetic evidence caused skunks to be treated as a ...
Spotted skunks can live 10 years in captivity, but in the wild, about half the skunks die after 1 or 2 years. Conservation The eastern spotted skunk, S. putorius , is a conservation concern.
Hog-nosed skunk. The distinguishing feature of the American hog-nosed skunk is it has a single, broad white stripe from the top of the head to the base of the tail, with the tail itself being completely white. It is the only skunk that lacks a white dot or medial bar between the eyes and has primarily black body fur.
The striped skunk is a stoutly-built, short-limbed animal with a small, conical head and a long, heavily furred tail. [12] Adult males are 10% larger than females, with both sexes measuring between 52–77 centimetres (20–30 in) in total body length and usually weighing 1.8–4.5 kg (4.0–9.9 lb), though some may weigh 5.5 kg (12 lb). [ 10 ]
Don’t feed skunks, coyotes or other animals. Schott said the food humans provide is typically not nutritious and can lead to health problems for animals. It also can cause them to become ...
The western spotted skunk was first described by Clinton Hart Merriam in 1890; [18] its specific name, gracilis, is derived from the Latin for "slender". [3] There remains discussion on whether the western spotted skunk is a subspecies of the eastern spotted skunk (S. putorius), a common skunk in the eastern United States. Many support the idea ...