COMMON NAME (S): Striped Skunk (Polecat)

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Mephitis mephitis

CLASSIFICATION: Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae

DESCRIPTION: Length: 2 feet
Height: 6-8 inches at the shoulder
Weight: 4-10 pounds.
General: Its most conspicuous feature is a bold white head patch which divides into a v stripe extending to the end of the tail over an otherwise shiny black coat. Skunks have small ears, long fur and large bushy tails.

RANGE: Throughout North America.

HABITAT: Meadows to densely timbered areas.

STATUS: General: Common.
               WA State: Common.

DIET: Consists of invertebrates, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, eggs and vegetation.

REPRODUCTION: Breeding season extends from February through March. The gestation period is nine weeks. Generally, the female gives birth to four to seven young. At birth, newborns weigh about one ounce.

LIFE SPAN: 5 to 8 years.

BEHAVIOR: The scent-spraying skunk meanders about unmolested because its bold black and white coloration serves as a warning to even colorblind animals. When alarmed, a skunk will first stamp its front feet, then turn its back on the object of its wrath, raise its tail and fire caustic scent accurately up to twelve feet. Skunks may den up and become semi-dormant in areas where the winter is very cold. Often times they will den up in mass. Such skunk "snuggles" consist of several females and a male who stays with his harem until the weather warms.

SOURCES: Furbearing Animals of North America, L. L. Rue III
Sleek and Savage, Delphine Haley

For more information about living with skunks in the neighborhood, go to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife site.