![]() I usually record them on the move (always at night) probing holes or fallen logs for something to eat. Spotted skunks are mostly found within the confines of Guanacaste and since most of my camera trap projects are in Guanacaste, I record them frequently. ![]() They can even walk forward on their front paws to get a closer shot. They will stand on their front paws, arch their backs above their little heads and fire away while doing a headstand. Sometimes they will swing their little body around so their tail-end is facing the threat, arch their head around to take good aim and fire their rotten egg musk at the silly creature that couldn’t take a hint.īut sometimes they decide to showoff their gymnast skills and face the threat head on. If the threat persists one of two things can happen. If you, or any other creature that poses a threat, starts messing with a spotted skunk, the first thing that happens is that it raises it’s white-tipped, puffy little tail straight up as a warning sign. But the manner in which they stink is by far the most interesting fact in this article. Ok, now that we’ve learned that they’re a member of the weasel family, that they’re pretty and that they can eat rattlesnakes, let’s talk about the fact that they do indeed stink. Rattlesnake remains have been found in spotted skunk poop, and there is some evidence that they are immune to rattlesnake venom, making them one of the few animals that can make a rattlesnake into a meal. The spotted skunk can be described as omnivorous because they do occasionally eat fruit but most of the time they are eating insects, rodents, snakes, small vertebrates and carrion. And for the same reason, I’ve never encountered one in the forest (I’m diurnal). Of the several hundred spotted skunk videos I’ve recorded, every single one has been at night. Some species are listed as nocturnal but I’ll still record them during the day with camera traps from time to time. Coming in at about 10 inches long and 1 pound, they are the smallest of Costa Rica’s skunk species. Each individual has a unique pattern but almost all of them have a white patch on their forehead and a white tip at the end of their tail. However you describe their pattern, I think it’s fair to say they’re pretty. I guess you could say they’re spotted but most of the time their ‘spots’ are more like stripes or irregular white patterns on a black background. To be fair, the name in English is not wildly accurate either. The name in Spanish is zorro hediondo manchado which translates directly to ‘spotted stink fox’ which isn’t super accurate but is hilarious. And just like our friend the tayra, they are a member of the weasel family. The spotted skunk is one of three species of skunk that call Costa Rica home. Meet the spotted skunk ( Spilogale angustifrons (not terrible to pronounce)). But let’s forget all of that for second and look at this interesting group of animals with new eyes. They’ve sprayed you or they’ve sprayed your dog, forcing you to take some sort of strange action like bath in tomato sauce. There are actually 13 subspecies of the striped skunk, the only differences being geographical location and size. The skunk is omnivorous, and its diet can include anything from nuts and berries to mice and chipmunks.I get it, nobody likes skunks. All members of the weasel family have scent glands, but none arc as powerful as the skunk's. The great horned owl has a poor sense of smell, and its eyes are protected by a special eyelid, so the skunk's strong musk does little to prevent an attack from this predator. The striped skunk is the most common member of the weasel family. Because the spray can cause nausea and temporary blindness of the target, skunks are rarely attacked by other mammals. Skunks still face predators, however, including the coyote, bobcat and domestic dog, but perhaps the most danger to the skunk comes from the air. ![]() A common myth is that skunks cannot spray when they are held up by their tail, but this is not true. Their scent glands are located on each side of the anus, and powerful muscles surrounding the glands can spray the scent up to twelve feet. This not so sweet smelling animal is black all over except for two white stripes running from the rump and converging on the head to form a white cap. Ranging all over Oklahoma, this animal is respected by many because of the strong musk smell it releases when provoked. The smell filling your nose is the musk spray of the striped skunk ( Mephitis mephitis). A bed of sweet smelling roses? The most expensive perfume on the market? Mountain air? Hardly.
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