The Perks of a Pepe-le-pew

Written by Jaclyn Adams

Picture this: it’s dark outside and you hear rustling in the bushes a few feet away. Curious, you wander closer and slowly lean towards the rustling, squinting to see if you can identify what is making so much noise. It’s probably just that pesky squirrel that has been eating all of your garden vegetables and breaking into your bird feeders. You can hear soft stomping; something sounds agitated. There’s nothing but black until you see a flash of white stripes, and a huge fluffy tail. Your immediate reaction is to jump back and run away as fast as you can. But the smell hits you, and you know you’re too late…

Location & Habitat: The Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) is native to North America and ranges from Southern Canada to Northern Mexico. Skunks prefer to live near forests, grasslands, and farms. They are den animals and will burrow into the ground if necessary, but they are often able to find abandoned dens from other animals. Since skunks have adapted to living in urban settings, they often make their dens under decks and houses. Fun fact, skunks will use leaves for their nests, and will carry leaves by placing them between their legs and shuffling over to their dens. You can still see a skunk at any time of the day, but they generally prefer foraging in the late afternoon and at night. Additionally, they usually stay within 2 kms of their den, but during breeding season they can be seen at all hours of the day. Male skunks will travel up to 8 km a day to find a mate!

About that smell… Skunks can shoot an oily, yellow, and incredibly smelly liquid out of two glands near their anus. The colour of the spray ranges from a bright highlighter yellow to a rusty orange colour. When a skunk lifts its tail, it can spray a mist of globules with a scent that can be carried by the wind for up to 1 km. Skunks can carry a couple tablespoons-worth of spray, but if all of the spray is discharged then it can take up to one week to replenish. Because of the amount of time required  to replenish its spray, skunks only use their spray in desperate times. Skunks can also shoot small amounts out at a time, so don’t make the mistake of assuming that they will only spray one shot!  

They make lots of very cute but feisty offspring. Skunks emerge from their dens around late February or early March to begin looking for a mate. Four to six babies are usually born in May. At seven-weeks-old they will venture out with mom to start foraging for food, and at eight-weeks-old they will be weaned off their mother’s milk. Baby skunks will often be seen practicing their stomping techniques with their siblings. They have a lot of attitude, and they aren’t afraid to use it! They stay with Mom throughout the fall, and then they will either venture off on their own, or choose to stay in their mother’s den until spring. Skunks can live up to seven years, but since they have become more urbanized, many of them end up getting hit on the road at an early age.  

The Percs of Pepi-le-peu are actually formidable for farmers and gardners too: Skunks are omnivores so their diet consists of both plants and animals. These omnivores like to eat insects, small rodents, eggs, plants, and honey. If a skunk lives near your backyard, they will help you out by eating some of the local rodents and insect pests that can get into your house or garden. While skunks can be pests to farmers when they break into beehives and henhouses, they generally prefer to eat insects like wasps, crickets, grubs, and worms. They will also eat small rodents and their young, but their summer diet mainly consists of insects and larvae. Their appetite for larvae explains why you may see small holes in your lawn or garden in the spring and summer months, since skunks will dig for grubs during the night while you are asleep.  This diet means that a skunk in your yard is consuming and so controlling many unwanted pests that would otherwise devastate your gardens or farmlands.

Despite their invaluable role in nature, people often panic when spotting a skunk. Instead, learn what to do if you see a skunk: Skunks generally only spray as a last defense when they feel like they cannot escape. If you pay attention, they will also give you lots of warning signs. For example, when a skunk is feeling defensive they will stomp their feet and back away with their tail raised to look as big as possible. They don’t usually make any noise, but they can sometimes make quiet growling and hissing sounds. If a skunk starts stomping its feet, remain calm and back away slowly. Skunks will react to any sudden movements and loud noises so just move slowly and be quiet. If you have a skunk living on your property and they aren’t doing any harm to you or your pets, then respect their space and they will respect yours.     

Sources 

Hinterland Who’s Who – Striped Skunk. (n.d.). Canadian Wildlife Federation. Retrieved

December 14, 2021, from https://www.hww.ca/en/wildlife/mammals/striped-skunk.html

Striped skunk. (2020). Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Smithsonian’s National Zoo. Retrieved December 14, 2021, from https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/striped-skunk

Animal Facts: Striped skunk. (2016). Canadian Geographic. Retrieved December 14, 2021, from https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/animal-facts-striped-skunk