The Life of Skunks

Comprising twelve species of Mephitidae split into four genera, including hog-nosed skunks, striped skunks, spotted skunks and Stink Badgers, skunks can be found in North, Central and South America, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei. The most numerically plentiful Skunks, however, are striped skunks or Mephitis mephitis, which makes their home over most of the continental United States, southern Canada and northern Mexico, surviving in a wide range of habitats from woodlands, forests, grassy plains and an increasing reliance on urban areas.

Minor Sexual Dimorphism

Exhibiting only slight sexual dimorphism—with males edging out females in overall size—skunks average 25-30 inches in length with an 8 to 11 inch tail, while their weight can range from three to ten pounds. Known for their pungent anal scent sacks that gives them five to six sprays before a ten-day resupply lag, skunks only spray humans or other animals when they feel threatened, while their unique appearance makes them memorable to humans and other animals alike, in particular, those who have been previously sprayed by a skunk’s rancid chemical defense.

Crepuscular Scavengers

Known for their crepuscular scavenging nature, skunks are omnivorous mammals who eat both plant and animal matter dependent upon the season, consuming a wide range of insects, larvae, grubs, rodents, lizards and salamanders, birds, moles and eggs, while their vegetarian diet includes berries, roots, leaves, fungi and nuts. Mating in the early spring of each year, male skunks are polygynous, mating with multiple females during late winter and early spring, while females are placental, with a gestation period that averages 66 days.

Born Altricial

Giving birth generally in May, females excavate a den before birthing an average four to seven kits, who in turn are born blind and deaf, but with a soft and quite robust layer of fur. Most kits open their eyes and begin to see and hear at three weeks of age, before becoming fully weaned of mother’s milk by two months of age. While male skunks play no role in raising their young, kits generally stay with their mother until they’re ready to mate at roughly one year of age. While most kits fail to survive their first year of life, due to severe weather conditions and infectious diseases, once a skunk reaches mating age, they generally live ten years in captivity and seven years in the wild, making the life of skunks, an aromatic member of the animal kingdom.