striped skunk

n.
A North American skunk (Mephitis mephitis) commonly found from southern Canada to northern Mexico, having a pair of white stripes running from the top of the head to the tail.

Mephitis mephitis

SUBFAMILY

Mephitinae

TAXONOMY

Viverra mephitis (Schreber, 1776), eastern Canada.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

French: Moufette rayée; German: Streifenskunk; Spanish: Zorillo, moufetta.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Body length 13–18 in (33–45 cm, tail 7–10 in (18–25 cm), weight 4–18 lb (2–8 kg). Easily recognized by the black pelage contrasting with the two dorsal white stripes that unite on the nape. Tail is bushy and mixed with black and white hairs. Front claws are long for digging.

DISTRIBUTION

Occurs throughout most of the United States and Canada south to northern Mexico.

HABITAT

Occurs in farmland, grasslands and forests, and also in numerous large cities.

BEHAVIOR

Nocturnal, the striped skunk shelters in abandoned buildings or underground burrows during the day. When threatened, striped skunks raise the tail, stomp the feet, do fake charges, and if needed, turn in a U-shape and spray their aggressor with the noxious fluid stored in their anal glands. The liquid is harmless to skin, and can easily be washed off; it irritates the eyes, causing extreme pain and may even result in temporary blindness. The smell is very difficult to remove from clothing. In northern environments, skunks become dormant in winter and must accumulate large amounts of fat to survive the long (sometimes up to six months) winters. Longevity may exceed eight years in captivity, but seldom exceeds three years in the wild.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Opportunistic omnivore that consumes mainly small rodents and insects, but also reptiles, amphibians, bird eggs, fruits, and seeds.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Promiscuous. Mating occurs in spring, implantation delay is short (less than 14 days) and variable, and between four and 10 young are born in April or May.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not threatened.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

The striped skunk is an important vector of rabies in North America, and because of that, is often considered undesirable around human habitations. Also, the noxious smell of skunks typically annoys landowners, who fear their pets may get sprayed. In some areas, striped skunks are important predators of duck eggs. In others, skunks may kill bees or damage beehives and thus are considered pests.

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The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: most common and widespread North American skunk
  Synonym: Mephitis mephitis

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