Gardening for Wildlife â

The Misunderstood Striped Skunk

Related Terms: mammal, skunk

photo: Corel

By Terri-Lee Reid

Most of us are familiar with the striped skunk — that cat-sized, black and white animal that sprays the musky scent. However, there is more to the striped skunk than most of us realize.

Striped skunks are black and are adorned with white on the top of their head. This white fur splits into two stripes and runs down their back. Their tail is black and bushy with white fur mixed throughout. While males are larger than females, both sexes have stout bodies with short legs. This makes them slow-moving animals so their primary means of defence is their ability to spray.

Skunks are actually not the only animals that rely on their musky odour for protection. In fact, this is a characteristic of all animals that belong to the Mustelidae family, including otters and wolverines.

Found throughout central Canada, from British Columbia to the Maritime provinces and as far north as Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, skunks live in a variety of habitats. They prefer mixed woodlands, pastures and grasslands, but urban areas offer skunks increased shelter and food resources.

While skunks can dig their own burrows, they prefer to use an abandoned fox or groundhog burrow. They will also find shelter under logs, rock piles or even under someone’s porch.

Striped skunks are nocturnal, coming out during evenings and overnight to forage. During their birthing season, however, it is not uncommon to see a skunk out during the day. In winter, they do not hibernate but they do become a lot less active. Females will typically stay in the den but males will venture out on mild evenings to find food. Between the end of February and the end of March, skunks begin resuming their normal levels of activity.

While skunks lead solitary lives most of the time, there are a few exceptions: for example, when mating, and when females are caring for their young. Mating typically takes place between February and April and once completed, the male does not stay to help raise his offspring. Following a gestation period of 60 to 77 days, the female typically gives birth to four to seven young, although there can be as many as 10. When born they weigh only 15 grams (about the weight of two loonies), are blind, deaf and with very little fur, although you can still make out the developing black and white pattern.

The young mature quickly — by day 13 they are fully furred, and by day 21 their eyes have opened. They wean at around eight weeks and at that time the female begins taking them out to forage. It is common to see a mother skunk with a trail of babies walking behind her in the early evening. The young typically stay with their mother until fall but sometimes will stay with her in the winter den — but by spring they are on their own.

Striped skunks are omnivores and feed on insects, grubs, frogs, bird eggs, small mammals, fruits, grass, grains, nuts, carrion and even garbage. Although rare, they will sometimes eat crops and enter chicken pens.

Skunks are probably best known for their ability to spray. What most of us don’t realize is that skunks are not aggressive animals. They would much prefer to get to safety than stay in a dangerous situation. In fact, they spray only as a last resort, typically when they are threatened or cornered. They even give warning before they spray — they stomp their front feet, arch their back and lift their tail. If the “enemy” doesn’t heed this warning, then watch out — the skunk will spray to protect itself. First, the skunk twists its body so that both its head and hind end are facing the “enemy”, and with its tail raised, it releases its spray. Skunks release this yellow musky fluid with great accuracy and the spray can travel three to five metres. This causes severe discomfort to the “enemy” as it deals with nausea and burning in the eye and nasal cavities; however, these impacts don’t last. Because of this defence, striped skunks have few natural enemies, with the great horned owl being the most noted because it has a poor sense of smell..

While skunks have excellent hearing, their eyesight is rather poor. Therefore it is common for animals, such as dogs, to creep up and startle a skunk. If you are a dog owner who has had the misfortune of dealing with a skunk-sprayed dog you know what a terrible experience this can be. While the traditional bath of tomato juice may work, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources suggests mixing together:

• 1 L hydrogen peroxide
• 50 mL baking soda
• 5 mL dishwashing liquid

Once you’ve prepared the solution, apply it to your dog, leaving it on for a few minutes and then rinsing it off. Since the mixture does contain hydrogen peroxide, it may give your dog the appearance of highlights.

Depending on where you live, you may find striped skunks digging up your lawn as they search for grubs, living under your deck or getting into your garbage. For information on how you can handle these common situations, check out our Dealing with Problem Wildlife section and our Control Gardening Pests Naturally article.

Skunks can carry diseases such as distemper and rabies. If you notice a striped skunk displaying signs of unwarranted aggression, paralysis, mobility problems or disorientation, this may indicate a neurological disease. In these cases, you should contact the police or animal control.

Skunks are not really the ever-spraying animals that many believe. In fact, skunks are great rodent, insect and grub controllers — a natural alternative to pesticides.

So the next time you see a skunk, don’t run for cover. Take a little time to