Western Spotted Skunk
Western Spotted Skunk
Spilogale gracilis
Spilogale gracilis
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Population, Conservation Status, Threats:
Considered least concern by the IUCN, though populations are decreasing. It is threatened by pesticide use, and is trapped, shot and poisoned as a nuisance predator. Vehicle strikes are a frequent cause of mortality for skunks, which have poor eyesight and little instinct or reason to flee from oncoming cars.
Physical Description:
Western spotted skunks are small weasel-like predators with a long body and large bushy tail. Like other species of skunk, they are aposematically colored with a busy black and white pattern across the entirety of their body. They are the smallest species of skunk in North America. Despite their resemblance to mustelids, they are not in the same family.
Overall range of Western spotted skunk from Montana Field Guide. Skunk are found in the western half of the United States, ranging into southern British Columbia and the northern half of Mexico.
Habitat:
Found in a wide variety of habitats from open grassland to rocky mountainous regions, and are found near human settlements as well as in wilder lands. Require sufficient cover in the form of brush, rocky outcroppings, dense groundcover, and snags.
Behavior:
Western spotted skunks are solitary and nocturnal, making them somewhat elusive. While they usually avoid encounters with potential predators, when threatened, they use their starkly-patterned fur as a warning signal, standing on their front legs and lifting their rear into the air in a "hand stand" in order to best display their aposematic coloration, puffing up their bushy tail to appear bigger. As a last resort, they will spray a pungent chemical mixture from their anal glands towards the attacker in an attempt to drive it off.
Diet:
Insects and small vertebrates make up the bulk of the spotted skunk's diet, though they will also take advantage of carrion, berries and fruit, and eggs as food sources when available.
Reproduction:
Females enter estrus in the fall, but embryo implantation is delayed for over 180 days. After a total gestation period of around 220 days, an average of four young are born in the spring. The young stay with their mother for about 2 months before becoming independent, and reach sexual maturity at roughly 4 months.
Associated Species:
Great horned owls and bobcats have been documenting predating upon skunks, but by and large they have few predators, and mortality is not usually caused by predation. Spotted skunks themselves predate upon the young of many rodent and bird species, such as cottontail rabbits.
Illustration by Willow Sedam
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