Striped Skunk Striped Skunk
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Mephitis mephitis
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Striped Skunk Tracks |
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Long front claws for digging.
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Skunk tracks show five toes on the front foot and five on the hind foot. The front tracks usually show claw marks farther ahead of the toe marks than the rear prints do. This is because the skunk has longer claws on the front feet to use in digging up roots and insects.
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| They forage by digging. Sometimes, you will find these small holes dug out by skunks. They will also get into garbage cans. |
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It has been said that skunks can be discouraged from visiting by scattering a few mothballs around on the ground. They are supposed to be repelled by the smell of camphor. Three to eight young are born blind and are weaned at six to seven weeks. Skunks are omnivorous, eating mice, eggs, insects, grubs, fruit, carrion, and shrews. Great horned owls are predators that commonly eat skunks. Skunks find shelter under buildings or in ground burrows taken over from other animals. Skunks are active year-round.
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A striped skunk that I encountered out and about one night. |
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| Striped skunk tracks. The hind foot is visible as a lighter imprint atop the front track. The front track exhibits the long claws that the skunk uses for digging for food. |
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A nice front track, showing the longer claws found on the front foot of the skunk. |
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| A pair of striped skunk tracks. The hind track left imprints only from the toes as the rock took most of the animal's weight. Variations in tracks are the norm, so never expect that the tracks you find will look exactly like the ones in the field guides! |
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A nice gait sequence from a striped skunk. This pattern is produced by the normal walking gait. |
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| A nice striped skunk track in mud. The skunk stepped on this fine mud and deposited some sand that had been clinging to its paw. The long claws left small imprints ahead of the toes. This is a right front paw. |
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| A very nice left front pawprint from a striped skunk. The long claws tell you that it is the front paw. The front paws are used for digging and foraging. The inner toe is the smallest toe, just like in bear tracks. |
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| A left front paw print from a striped skunk. The quarter gives you an idea of the track size. Always include an item of known size in your track photos to give them scale. |
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| A nice right front paw print in dried mud. This skunk's claws left nice clear imprints. |
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| Striped skunk track in dusty soil. The shorter claw marks indicate this is the hind track. The front paw has long claws. |
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| A nice skunk hind track in dust. |
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| This is why animals should be kept out of garbage. This skunk got into a garbage can and ate the little bread tie thing. It went through his digestive tract and came out in the scat. These plastic items could kill an animal. Always keep garbage cans tightly sealed and keep them locked up where animals can't get into them until collection day. The animals will be safer. |
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| If the skunk raises its tail and twists its body around so the back end is pointing your way..... watch out! |
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| A striped skunk dug into this underground wasp nest and ate the wasps. |
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Striped skunk hind foot cast from a mold. Note claw length. |
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A striped skunk that visited me, looking for food. |
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| A beautiful striped skunk track in mud. This footprint shows the claw marks ahead of the toes. Skunks use their long claws to dig. The five toes are perfectly outlined in this paw print. It resembles a small bear print. |
Personal Notes on Striped Skunks
I once lived in a house that had a family of skunks denning underneath. The smell got to be pretty strong after a while, but it was still tolerable. Eventually, they moved out on their own. I have had several close encounters with skunks, but have been fortunate enough to have not been sprayed by one. I came close one night though. I accidentally startled a skunk that was raiding my cat's food dish. The skunk's tail went up and I went the opposite direction - fast!
Find skunk posters, greeting cards, t-shirts, hats, and more in my new store.
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Now available: "Animals Don't Cover
Their Tracks - An Introduction to Animal Tracking" on CD! (Version 3.0)
New drawings, more species, more photos, more extensive sections on tracking
humans, more detailed directions for plaster casting, mystery tracks section,
tracking stories section, and more. The CD features over 100 species, including
special bonus sections with the tracks of some African and Australian
animals. A large section on tracking lost people for search and rescue is
included, with over four pages of photos showing the details of tracks and
signs people leave. Easy to use format. This web site is limited
by bandwidth, but the CD-ROM is not. The CD is available in my online store at:
www.dirt-time.com
Works with Mac or PC. Happy tracking!!
What else can you find in the nature store? Beartracker's animal tracks coloring book, T-shirts, sweatshirts, journals, book bags, toddler and infant apparel, mouse pads, posters, postcards, coffee mugs, travel mugs, clocks, Frisbees, bumper stickers, hats, stickers, and many more items. All with tracks or paw prints, or nature scenes. Custom products are available. If you don't see the track you want on the product you want, email me and I can probably create it. Proceeds from all sales go to pay the monthly fees for this web site. You can help support this site as well as get great tracking products! Thank you! |
| Find other tracking products: www.zazzle.com/tracker8459* |
| Also visit these fine
stores for more products of interest: NDN Pride shop - For Indian Pride items for all tribes. Custom items available on request. ASL Signs of Love - For anyone who uses or is learning ASL, American Sign Language. Custom name items and more are available here. Sales from all stores give commissions to Beartracker's Animal Tracks Den, which helps keep this site online as a free service. We are celebrating ten years online this year! |
Got a skunk story? E-mail me and tell me about it.
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Copyright © 1997-2009. Text and drawings by Kim A. Cabrera
Page updated: November 28, 2008.
Copyright © 1997-2009. Text, drawings, and photos by Kim A. Cabrera - Desert Moon Design
The striped skunk is a boldly colored nocturnal animal whose defense is a
very strong smelling spray. It has glands which hold about a tablespoon of musky smelling
methyl mercaptan. This is enough to allow the skunk to spray five or six times. It stamps
its feet, growls, hisses, turns its back, and raises its tail straight up when it is about
to spray. It can spray up to 15 feet and the smell can carry a mile. If the spray gets in
the eyes, it causes pain. 
