Striped skunk
Striped skunk | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Family: | Mephitidae |
Genus: | Mephitis |
Species: | M. mephitis
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Binomial name | |
Mephitis mephitis (Schreber, 1776)
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Striped skunk range | |
Synonyms[2] | |
Viverra mephitis Schreber, 1776 |
The striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) is a
Striped skunks are
Taxonomy
The striped skunk was first formally named by Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber as Viverra mephitis. The type locality is in eastern Canada.[7][2]
Evolution and subspecies
The earliest fossil finds attributable to Mephitis were found in the Broadwater site in Nebraska, dating back to the early Pleistocene less than 1.8 million years ago. By the late Pleistocene (70,000–14,500 years ago), the striped skunk was widely distributed throughout the southern United States, and it expanded northwards and westwards by the Holocene (10,000–4,500 years ago) following the retreat of the Wisconsin glacier.[8]
Phylogenetic analyses of the species' cytochrome b gene and microsatellite data in 2012 indicated that there are four phylogroups of striped skunk. The first emerged from the Texas-Mexico region during the Rancholabrean before the Illinoian glaciation and colonized the southeastern United States. The second, still originating in the Texas-Mexico region, expanded westwards to the Rocky Mountains during the Illinoian glacial period. Two subsequent subclades were formed during the Sangamonian interglacial on either side of the Sierra Nevada. The subclade that colonized the Great Basin later expanded eastwards across the northern Rocky Mountains during the Holocene, recolonising the Great Plains and making contact with the southern phylogroup. A similar, but less significant, secondary contact occurred when the same subclade intermingled with members of the eastern phylogroup east of the Mississippi river.[8]
Thirteen subspecies of the striped skunk are generally recognized:[3]
Subspecies | Skin | Skull | Trinomial authority | Description | Range | Synonyms |
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Canada skunk M. m. mephitis ( Nominate subspecies )
|
Schreber, 1776 | A large subspecies with a short and slender tail and a mixed black and white coat with constant markings.[9] | Eastern Canada; Nova Scotia, Quebec, and northern Ontario. | M. americana (Desmarest, 1818), chinche (Fischer, 1829), mephitica (Saw, 1792), vulgaris (F. Cuvier, 1842) | ||
Illinois skunk M. m. avia |
Bangs, 1898 | Similar to M. m. mesomelas, but with a slightly larger skull.[9] | Prairie region of Illinois, western Indiana, and eastern Iowa. | newtonensis Brown, 1908 | ||
Florida skunk M. m. elongata |
Bangs, 1895 | A medium-sized subspecies with a very long tail. The white markings are usually very broad.[9] | Florida to North Carolina, and in the mountains to West Virginia; west on the Gulf coast to the Mississippi River. | |||
Arizona skunk M. m. estor |
Merriam, 1890 | A small subspecies resembling M. m. varians, but with a shorter tail and smaller skull. The white markings are particularly broad along the back and tail.[9] | Arizona, western New Mexico, Sonora, Chihuahua, and northern Lower California; south in the Sierra Madre to southern Chihuahua. | |||
Southern California skunk M. m. holzneri |
Mearns, 1898 | Similar to M. m. occidentalis, but smaller.[9] | Southern California, from vicinity of Monterey Bay south into Lower California; east to the Sierra Nevada and San Bernardino Range. | |||
Northern plains skunk M. m. hudsonica |
Richardson, 1829 | A very large subspecies with a heavily furred, medium-sized tail.[9] | Western Canada, from Manitoba to British Columbia; south in the United States to Colorado, Nebraska, and Minnesota. | americana (Lesson, 1865), chinga (Tiedemann, 1808), minnesotoe (Brass, 1911) | ||
Great Basin skunk M. m. major |
Howell, 1901 | Probably the largest subspecies, similar to M. m. occidentalis, but with longer hind feet and a heavier skull.[9] | Eastern Oregon, northern California, and Nevada; east to the Wasatch Mountains in Utah. | |||
Louisiana skunk M. m. mesomelas |
Lichtenstein, 1832 | A very small, short-tailed subspecies.[9] | West side of Mississippi Valley from southern Louisiana to Missouri; westward along the coast of Texas to Matagorda Island; and up the Red River Valley as far at least as Wichita Falls. | mesomeles (Gerrard, 1862), scrutator (Bangs, 1896) | ||
Eastern skunk M. m. nigra |
Peale and Palisot de Beauvois, 1796 | A medium-sized subspecies, with a longer tail than that of M. m. mephitis.[9] | New England and Middle Atlantic States; south to Virginia; west to Indiana. | bivirgata (C. E. H. Smith, 1839), dentata (Brass, 1911), fetidissima (Boitard, 1842), frontata (Coues, 1875), olida (Boitard, 1842), putida (Boitard, 1842) | ||
Cascade Mountains skunk M. m. notata |
Hall, 1936 | Similar to M. m. occidentalis, but with a shorter tail, heavier skull, and narrower stripes.[9] | Southern Washington and northern Oregon, east of the Cascade Mountains. | |||
California skunk M. m. occidentalis |
Baird, 1858 | A large subspecies resembling M. m. hudsonica, but with a longer tail and narrower skull.[9] | Northern and central California, from the vicinity of Monterey Bay northward, west of the Sierra and Cascades, to the Willamette Valley, Oregon. | notata (Howell, 1901), platyrhina (Howell, 1901) | ||
Puget Sound skunk M. m. spissigrada |
Bangs, 1898 | Similar to M. m. occidentalis, but with a shorter tail and more white on the body and tail.[9] | Shores of Puget Sound and coastal region of Washington and northern Oregon. | foetulenta (Elliot, 1899) | ||
Texas long-tailed skunk M. m. varians |
Gray, 1837 | A large, very long-tailed subspecies whose markings closely approach those of M. m. hudsonica.[9] | Southern and western Texas, eastern New Mexico, and adjacent parts of Mexico; north into Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska. | texana (Low, 1879) |
Vernacular names
The English word skunk has two
Local indigenous names include:
Linguistic group or area | Indigenous name |
---|---|
Abenaki | seganku |
Chipewyan | nool'-tsee-a |
Cree Ojibwe |
shee-gawk |
Tŝilhqot’in (Chilcotin) |
guli |
Huron | scangaresse |
Ogallala Sioux | mah-kah |
Yankton Sioux |
mah-cah |
Description
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] The feet are plantigrade with bare soles,[10] and are not as broad or flat as those of hog-nosed skunks.[12] The forefeet are armed with five long, curved claws adapted for digging, while those on the hind feet are shorter and straighter.[10]
The color patterns of the fur vary greatly, but generally consist of a black base with a white stripe extending from the head which divides along the shoulders, continuing along the flanks to the rump and tail. Some specimens have a white patch on the chest, while others bear white stripes on the outer surface of the front limbs.[10] Brown or cream-colored mutations occasionally occur.[11]
Like all skunks, the striped skunk possesses two highly developed scent glands, one on each side of the anus, containing about 15 milliliters of musk each,[13] which provides a chemical defense against predation.[14] This oily, yellow-colored musk consists of a mixture of powerfully odorous thiols (sulfur analogues of alcohols, in older sources called "mercaptans"), which can be sprayed at a distance of several meters. The odor of this musk was likened by Ernest Thompson Seton to a mixture of perfume musk, essence of garlic, burning sulfur and sewer gas "magnified a thousand times",[11] though Clinton Hart Merriam claimed that it is not "one tenth" as offensive as that produced by minks and weasels.[13] It can be sprayed at a distance of several meters. If sprayed on the eyes, this compound can cause a temporary burning sensation.[10]
Life history
Reproduction and development
The striped skunk is
When a male locates a female, he will approach her from the rear and lick her genitals, then bite her on the nape before copulating. A single male may have a harem of several females, which he mates with and defends against other males for a period of about 35 days. Once the mating period has finished, the impregnated females confine themselves to their dens, while the males attempt to rebuild their fat reserves.[10]
The
Denning and sheltering behaviors
The striped skunk may dig its own dens, though it will appropriate those abandoned by other animals should the opportunity present itself. These dens are normally used only in late fall, winter, and early spring, while females with unweaned kits make use of them in late spring and summer. In cultivated areas, striped skunks will dig their dens in
Ecology
Habitat
The striped skunk inhabits a wide variety of habitats, particularly mixed woodlands, brushy corners and open fields interspersed with wooded ravines and rocky outcrops. Some populations, particularly in northwestern Illinois, prefer cultivated areas over uncultivated ones.[2]
Diet
While primarily an
Striped skunks are known to use their sharp claws to tear apart rotting logs to find grubs, dig in the soil for insects, and pin down prey. Their practice of digging leaves small-but-noticeable pits in the ground, which can provide evidence of their presence in an area.[15]
Predation
Because of its formidable defensive capability, the striped skunk has few natural enemies. Mammalian predators typically avoid skunks, unless they are starving. Such predators include cougars, coyotes, bobcats, badgers, and red and gray foxes. Predatory birds, including golden and bald eagles, and great horned owls tend to have greater success in hunting skunks, though they still risk being blinded by their prey's musk.[2]
Disease
The striped skunk is one of the major carriers of the
Relationships with humans
In culture
The striped skunk is commonly featured in the myths and oral traditions of Native Americans. Some stories try to explain its striped pattern or how it got its smell. Skunks fill various roles in legends and may be featured as heroes, villains, tricksters, or monsters. For the Muscogee people, the skunk represented family loyalty and defense of loved ones. The Winnebago people used the skunk to symbolize vanity, being beautiful on the outside but ugly on the inside.[23]
The striped skunk was once called the "emblem of America" by
Trapping and fur use
The striped skunk is one of North America's most sought-after furbearers, and was once the second most harvested after the muskrat. Its fur is intrinsically valuable, being durable and having rich luster, though this trait decreases with wear and exposure to sunlight. Skunk pelts are divided into four grades, with the most prized being the ones with a greater amount of black. These grades are further subdivided in value according to their locality, with the most valuable occurring in northern regions, where the fur is finer and darker.[4] Skunks are notable for being easy to trap, even approaching traps they had been previously caught in. Because skunks are difficult to kill without having them discharge their musk (and thus ruin their fur) they were typically dispatched with a paralyzing blow to the lower back or drowned if caught in a box trap.[11]
Skunk farming largely began during the late 1890s, when there was much foreign demand for their skins, and intensive trapping had largely extirpated the more valuable mostly black-colored specimens. Captive breeding of skunks proved relatively simple when compared to mink and marten farming, as skunks are easier to tame and have less specialized dietary needs.
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Striped skunk pelts
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Tracks in the snow
Taming
The striped skunk is easily tamed and was often kept in barns to kill rats and mice during the 19th century.[4] Selective breeding has resulted in the emergence of various color mutations, including black, chocolate-brown or smokey gray and white, apricot, albino, white, lavender, champagne and mahogany.[5]
Other uses
The striped skunk was regularly eaten by trappers and indigenous peoples, provided the animal was not too old or had not sprayed before being killed.
The fat was once reputed to make an excellent lubricant.[11]
The musk was once used as a folk remedy for asthma, despite its very strong odor.[12]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 19 February 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Wade-Smith, J. & Verts, B. J. (1982). "Mephitis mephitis" (PDF). Mammalian Species 173 : 1–7.
- ^ OCLC 62265494.
- ^ a b c d e f Lantz, D. E. (1923). Economic value of North American skunks. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.
- ^ a b Cipriani, D. (2011) "Skunks are affectionate, intelligent pets for owners who offer the proper care." Critters USA. pp. 2-6
- ISBN 0811705854
- ^ Schreber, J. C. D. 1776. Die Saugthiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur, mit Beschreibungen. Wolfgang Walther, Erlangen, 3(Heft 17):290-312.
- ^ a b Barton, H. D., and S. M. Wisely. 2012. Phylogeography of striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) in North America: Pleistocene dispersal and contemporary population structure. Journal of Mammalogy 93(1):38-51.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Howell, A. H. (1901). Revision of the skunks of the genus Chincha. U. S. Department of Agriculture. Washington, Government Printing Office.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rosatte, R. & Lawson, S. (2003). Skunks. In G. Feldhamer, B. Thompson, & J. Chapman (Eds., Wild Mammals of North America; biology, management and conservation (2nd ed.) Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 692-707.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Seton, E. T. (1909). Life-histories of northern animals : an account of the mammals of Manitoba. New York City: Scribner. pp. 966-994
- ^ a b c d Coues, E. (1877). Fur-bearing animals: a monograph of North American Mustelidae, in which an account of the wolverene, the martens or sables, the ermine, the mink and various other kinds of weasels, several species of skunks, the badger, the land and sea otters, and numerous exotic allies of these animals, is contributed to the history of North American mammals. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories (U.S.). pp. 195-235.
- ^ a b c d Merriam, C. H. (1886). The mammals of the Adirondack region, northeastern New York. New York : Henry Holt and Co. pp. 69-87.
- PMID 7816816.
- ^ a b "Striped Skunk | Adirondack Ecological Center | SUNY ESF | College of Environmental Science and Forestry". www.esf.edu. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
- ISBN 0472064975
- ^ "Mephitis mephitis (Striped skunk)". Animal Diversity Web.
- ^ "Mephitis mephitis (Striped skunk)". Animal Diversity Web.
- ^ "Mephitis mephitis (Striped skunk)". Animal Diversity Web.
- ^ ISBN 080471195X
- ISBN 978-0198759805.
- from the original on 22 July 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
- ^ ISBN 9781780234908.