Striped skunk

Striped skunk is common in North America everywhere from southern Canada to northern Mexico . In the United States, it is found in all states except Alaska and Hawaii .

Skunks inhabit a variety of biotopes - both forests and open spaces, including deserts . The highest density of striped skunk was recorded on agricultural land (13 skunks per 259 ha). These are solitary animals; only during hibernation can females form groups of several individuals. Skunks go hunting at dusk or at night. They swim well, but climb trees poorly.

Striped skunks are omnivorous, but up to 70% of their diet is insects . In addition, skunks eat small mammals ( voles , hamsters , rabbits ), eggs of birds and chicks, fish, reptiles and in large quantities plant foods - grass, leaves, buds, fruits, grain and nuts , as well as carrion.

In the fall, skunks eat off and become very fat. In the northern part of the range, they hibernate in the cold season. In late October - early November, the skunk begins to collect material (dry grass and leaves) for the winter nest, and in early December falls into sleep. The skunk's winter refuge is burrows and any dry, secluded places. Usually he occupies the hole of another small animal, less often he digs it out himself. Females usually gather in winter dens in groups of up to 6 individuals with cubs; sometimes one male hibernates with them, but more often males occupy separate shelters. Females and cubs rarely wake up before the end of March, but adult males are active during winter thaws.

A skunk has few natural enemies; only occasionally does he become the prey of a cougar , coyote or dog . If the striped skunk is disturbed, it first arches its back as a warning, raises its tail and claps its teeth loudly. In case of danger, the skunk turns its back on the enemy, throws its tail on its back and sprinkles the secret of anal glands into it with the reduction of sphincters , as if it hit the target from a distance of 2-3 meters. The secret has a repulsive nauseating smell (provoking a strong cough and sometimes fainting) and, getting on the mucous membrane of the eye, causes severe burning and temporary blindness. In addition, it is very stable and can remain on the body of a predator or person for a long time. Because of the smell, mammalian predators rarely hunt skunks, their main enemies are birds of prey - the Virginian owl ( Bubo virginianus ) and the red-tailed buzzard ( Buteo jamaicensis ).

Tamed, these animals are characterized by a cheerful, friendly disposition.

Male skunks are polygamous. Females usually have one estrus per year, lasting approx. 3 days. The mating period occurs at the end of winter - the beginning of spring.

The average duration of pregnancy is 63 days. In the litter from 2 to 10, usually 5-6 cubs. Newborns are born blind and helpless. Their eyes open at the age of 2 weeks. At the age of 4 weeks, the cubs already know how to take a defensive position by raising their tail. Lactation in the female lasts up to 6-7 weeks. Then the young skunks leave the den and follow their mother in search of food. They fall into their first hibernation with their mother. Next year they are already completely independent. Males do not engage in offspring.

In nature, striped skunks live 2-3 years; in captivity - usually up to 5 years. Up to 90% of young skunks do not survive their first winter.

Skunks bring great benefits to agriculture by eating insect pests ( Colorado potato beetle , locust , etc.) and mice . For the destruction of pests, they are leaders among mammals.

Sometimes they eat carrots in the fields and ruin chicken coops, but rarely enough. Bees also eat in apiaries . Skunks pose much greater danger as rabies carriers; this is the reason why skunks are not allowed as pets in many states of the United States .

At one time, striped skunks were bred on fur farms , having previously removed the anal glands, but now their beautiful fur is not in demand. In 1933 - 1939 unsuccessful attempts were made to acclimatize the striped skunk in the USSR - in the Voronezh Reserve, on Petrov Island in the Primorsky Territory , in the Kharkov Region , the Kyrgyz and Azerbaijan SSRs, and the Dagestan ASSR ^[2] . It is generally accepted that the main reason for the failure was that animals were released into the wild with removed anal glands - the only protective organ of these animals. But according to the testimony of the zoologist Manteuffel, skunks were normal. Just predators, unfamiliar with them, instantly killed them. They got a lesson for life, but the skunks have already been destroyed.

The secret produced by the anal glands of the skunk has an extremely unpleasant smell, including for humans. Removing odors from clothing and items exposed to the secretion of the anal glands can be a serious problem. To remove odor, a mixture has been successfully used, including soap, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda ^[3] (the mixture should be used immediately after preparation). Thiols , which are part of the secretions of the skunk glands, are not dissolved by water or a soap solution. But soda is a catalyst for the oxidizing ability of hydrogen peroxide, which oxidizes thiols.

Skunk uses ethanethiol , the most potent natural compound, as a smelling component. A person can smell it, even if only 0.000000000002 g is inhaled. It is also added to natural gas to detect leaks, since natural gas in its pure form practically does not smell.