Scientific Name: Mephitis mephitis

Temporal Activity: Crepuscular, Nocturnal. Undergo periods of inactivity from November until March.

Diet: Varied diet of plant/animal foods (insects, small mammals, eggs, carrion, fruit, etc.). Half of summer diet is insects.

Predators: Because of their excellent defense system they are rarely preyed on by mammals. They are preyed on by Great Horned Owls, which have almost no sense of smell, human beings and automobiles.  Skunks spray a noxious sent that will immediately stop a predator.

Breeding: February to late March. Gestation lasts 62-68 days. Litter of 2-10 is born with one litter per year. They are in underground burrows usually made by other animals.

Notes: Dens usually consist of six females and their young. One male sometimes occupies a den with females, but usually lives alone in its own den.  The skunk has aposomatic coloration that serves to warn potential predators of their noxious spray.

Photo: Taken at Scottsdale Community College on September 25, 2007. For more photos, click on camera icon.

To return to mammal species list, close or minimize this window.