Wildlife Wednesday 10/09/2024
Happy #WildlifeWednesday! Today we will learn about a nocturnal animal that wants to be seen, smelled, and recognized…the striped skunk!
While many animals use camouflage, burrows, and fleeing to hide from predators, the skunk does not rely on any of these. Instead its strategy is to stand out, showing off the bright white stripes along its black back and bushy tail, a sight that animals who have encountered skunks before learn to avoid.
Because upon encountering a skunk, an elaborate warning display of foot stamping and stomping will begin. The tail will rise, the back will arch, a little more stomping will occur with some hissing thrown in for good measure, and if the predator does not take the hint to continue on its way, it will be time for the main defense: the spray.
The notoriously smelly oil that spurts from glands under a skunk tail is described generously as musky but more often likened to sulfur, rotten eggs, and sewer gas. The substance can cause serious harm to animals if it gets in their eyes, stinging them and even causing temporary blindness. The stench does not wash off easily, and can cling to an animal’s fur for weeks. And skunks are a very good shot and rarely miss. Their lives depend on it.
Most animals avoid skunks once they learn the powerful lesson. Great Horned Owls are an exception however, because these large birds of prey lack a sense of smell and generally attack from above.
Visitors can sniff out the Striped Skunk character on the trail at the Enchanted Forest this weekend! Smell you later!