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Striped Skunks -- Mephitis mephitis

© Diana Pederson

Striped skunks are a common and widespread North American mammals. The scientific name, Mephitis, comes from the Latin word, mephit, which means "bad odor." The English version, skunk, may have come from the Abenaki Indian words, segankw or segongw. Popular names for the skunk include American polecat, big skunk, common skunk, lined skunk, smell-cat, and stink-cat.

Native American Indians used skunks for food, medicine, accessories in religious ceremonies, and as the subject of art and songs. Chippewa Indians used oil from the skunk's skin as a treatment for internal worms. Other Native American Indian groups taught their children that their hair would turn white if they said anything disgusting about the skunk's odor. Various Native American Indian groups believed that a death would occur in their if skunk built a nest under it.

What Do Skunks Look Like?

Skunks are about the size of a domestic (house) cat. The head and body of a male skunk average 15 3/4 inches long and the female averages 15 1/4 inches long. The tail is 9 inches long in males and 8 3/4 inches in females. Their weight changes with the season with the lowest weight in the winter and their peak weight in the fall. Males weigh between 6 and 12 pounds and females average 4 pounds.

Skunks have a triangular shaped head which tapers to a rounded, ball-shaped nose pad. It has small, rounded ears, covered with hair. The eyes appear solid black making the pupils quite difficult to notice. The skunk's neck is thick and difficult to distinguish from its body. Its front legs are short, and the back legs are slightly longer. Its feet are plantigrade (flat foot) with 5 digits (toes) on both front and back feet. The front feet have long curved claws used for digging and are slightly webbed. The 5 digits on the back feet are short with straight claws. Females normally have 7 pairs of nipples (mammae--glands that produce milk). If you would like something unusual to show your friends, you can purchase skunk (and other mammals) skulls here I knew the internet had something for everyone's tastes!

Striped skunks have two main identifying features. The first is their pelage (fur) and the second is their scent. The skunks pelage may range from solid black to black with very wide white stripes. For most skunks, the pelage is glossy black with some white striping. The striping varies widely. It may be only on the skunks nose or on the nose and head. Other skunks have stripes on their nose, head, and back. The striping may break into 2 bars on the back, or it may appear as a wide, solid white stripe. Rarely, melanistic (all black) or albino (all white) skunks occur.

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