October 23, 1998

     Striped Skunk

Skunks are carnivores and members of the weasel family.  The striped skunk is a furry, glossy black animal, the size of a house cat, with two distinct white stripes.  Usually active at dusk and night, they do not retire until after sunrise.  During winter, they are more or less dormant, however, true hibernation does not occur.

Skunks prefer areas of mixed woodlands and fields.  Autumn food consists of fruit, nuts, seeds, mice, shrews, carrion and garbage.  In the summer, more than half their food consists of insects such as grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars and wasps.

The skunk's method of defense has given the animal an undeserved bad reputation, since it will spray only as a last resort.  First it will try to run away.  If this does not work, it turns to face the danger, stomping its front feet.  If this doesn't cause a retreat, the skunk will turn and spray its scent.  It can spray up to 15 feet, usually in an arc so as to be sure to hit its target.

The chemical responsible for skunk scent is butylmercaptan, a sulphur- alcohol compund that, like all volatile sulphur compounds, is malodorous.  Skunk fluid sprayed into the eyes causes them to smart and burn for up to nearly an hour, and will blind temporarily, but has no lasting effect and the pain will soon be gone.