Skunks

A skunk is a cat-sized, black-and-white mammal that defends itself by spraying a foul, oily musk up to 10-15 feet. In most of the US the one in your yard is the striped skunk; it's mild-mannered and eats lawn grubs, but it can carry rabies and likes to den under decks and sheds.

Skunks warn before they spray, rarely bite unless cornered, and are mainly a problem when they move in close to people and pets. Here's how to identify them, read their signs and understand their year.

Skunk species in the US

Skunks are in their own family, Mephitidae, not the weasel family as once thought.

• Striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis): the familiar skunk animal, found across the US and southern Canada. Black with two white stripes meeting at the head in a V; a white bar between the eyes. About 2 feet long including the bushy tail, 4-10 pounds.
• Spotted skunks (Spilogale, eastern and western): much smaller (1-3 pounds), with broken white stripes and spots. Agile, they climb trees. Before spraying they famously do a handstand with the tail up. The eastern spotted skunk has declined sharply in much of its range.
• Hooded skunk (Mephitis macroura): southwestern deserts of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas; long hair and a ruff on the neck.
• American hog-nosed skunk (Conepatus leuconotus): Texas and the Southwest; a broad white back and a long, bare snout for rooting.

White and albino skunks

Coloring varies a lot. Some striped skunks are mostly white because the stripes are very broad; some are leucistic (white or cream fur, normal dark eyes). True albino skunks with pink eyes are rare; they're easy for predators to spot and seldom live long.

Behavior

Skunks are nocturnal, slow-moving and short-sighted, and they don't climb well (striped skunks). They den in burrows dug by other animals, hollow logs, rock piles, and under decks, porches, sheds, slabs and crawl spaces. In northern winters they hole up for weeks in a den, often several females together, but they don't truly hibernate.

Before spraying a striped skunk stamps its front feet, hisses, raises its tail and turns its body into a U so both head and rear face you. Back away slowly at that point. A full tank is about a tablespoon of musk, enough for 5-6 sprays, and refilling takes over a week, so they don't spray lightly. For cleaning up after a direct hit, see skunk spray and how to get rid of the smell.

What skunks eat

Omnivores: beetle grubs, crickets, grasshoppers, bees and wasps (they dig out ground nests), earthworms, mice and voles, bird and turtle eggs, frogs, berries and fruit, and around homes pet food, bird seed and garbage. They're beneficial insect hunters in gardens and crops.

Signs of skunks

• Lawn damage: small, cone-shaped holes 3-4 inches across, dug overnight while hunting grubs. Turf is not rolled back in strips the way raccoons do it, and there are no raised ridges like moles make.
• Smell: faint musk near a den, or strong after a scare.
• Tracks: five toes front and back, long front claws; hind prints look flat-footed like a small bear's.
• Den holes: a fresh hole about 4-6 inches wide under a deck, step or slab, with loose soil and no mound.
• Skunk poop (see below).

What does skunk poop look like?

Skunk droppings are tube-shaped, about 1/4-1/2 inch in diameter and 1-2 inches long, blunt at both ends. They usually contain visible insect parts such as shiny beetle shells, plus fur, seeds or berry skins. You'll find them near den entrances, along fences and in gardens.

Compared with others:

• Raccoon: larger (3/4 inch thick), in piles at shared latrines.
• Opossum: smooth, curled, often moldy, scattered.
• Cat: segmented, usually buried.

Use gloves to clean it up, don't stir dust, and wash your hands; feces can carry parasites and bacteria.

Skunk mating season and babies

• Mating: February to March. Males roam widely at night looking for females, which is why skunk smell and road-killed skunks spike in late winter.
• Births: about 60-75 days later, in May or June.
• Litter: usually 4-7 kits, born blind and nearly hairless, but the stripe pattern is already visible in the skin.
• Baby skunks can spray (weakly) from about 3 weeks old, start following the mother on night hunts at 6-8 weeks, single file, and disperse by late summer.

If you find a baby skunk alone, watch from a distance; the mother often comes back. Call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator if it's clearly orphaned or hurt. Don't put a skunk family out of a den during May-July: the kits can't follow.

Are skunks dangerous?

• Rabies. Skunks are one of the main rabies carriers in the US, especially in the central states (the "skunk variant") and California. Keep dogs and cats vaccinated. Report a skunk that is out in daylight and acting tame, aggressive, wobbly or partly paralyzed. If bitten or scratched, wash well with soap and water and call your doctor or health department.
• Spray. Painful in the eyes and nauseating but not dangerous for most people and pets; flush eyes with water. Rarely a large dose can cause anemia in dogs, so see a vet if a dog is lethargic or has dark urine after a heavy spraying.
• Leptospirosis and parasites from feces and urine.
• Bites are rare and happen when skunks are grabbed or cornered.

Skunk lifespan

Most wild skunks live 2-3 years; many die in their first year to cars, great horned owls and disease. In captivity they can reach 10 years.

When skunks become a problem

One skunk passing through the yard at night is normal and harmless. It's a problem when one dens under your porch, keeps spraying the dog, or digs up the lawn night after night. Steps to make it leave and stay gone are on how to get rid of skunks.