Report writing at its finest! 

                                                          Skunks

The iconic skunk is a proud member of the weasel family known for their putrid smell they make when they're threatened.

Physical Appearance

The striped skunk is the most common skunk at an average size of a house cat. They have small facial features like their small head and eyes with a lovely pointed snout. They have short, stubby legs which they use to slowly and deliberately waddle. The skunk might seem fearless but in fact their eyesight, smell and hearing turns out to be pretty poor, it might just be that they're not too aware of what's going on around them. They're easy to spot with shiny, black fur and two distinctive white stripes located on their backs that meet at the head, and a big, bushy tail. The skinks vivid colouring is like a warning to its predators not to disturb them.

Habitat

The skunks are found throughout America and southern parts of Canada. They can live in a large amount of habitats such as forests, farms, and even the suburbs, making sure they are never far from a water supply. They prefer to use burrows left from other animals or they dig their own. They also use protected places like hollow logs or underneath buildings like a den. A skunk's ideal den would have to be warm, dark and easily defendable.

Reproduction

A mother skunk will give birth to a litter between 4 and 7 babies. The importance of this is because the lifespan of a skunk in the wild is only about 2 years. The litter are released from its mother's milk at 6 to 7 weeks and start hunting with her. These young are most likely seen travelling single file behind her. As the regular behaviour of most mammal mothers, she is fiercely protective of her young.

Nutrition

Skunks eat a large variety of food. They look at night hunting for field mice and other small mammals. They also savour insects, fruit and dead animals they may find on the roads and neighbourhoods. This helps because they get a delicious snack while helping keep our roads clean. During Autumn they eat a lot and get pretty fat but when there's heavy snow in Winter they get drowsy and sleep a lot in their dens but don't hibernate.

Social Behaviour

Skunks are quiet animals, they don't seem to be bothered around other animals and even humans. The females often share territories during cold weather. More than 10 skunks have been found together in cozy, winter dens.

Predators

Skunks don't have many natural predators. But if it's threatened, beware. They will face its enemy, arch its tail, chatter its teeth and stomp the ground with its front feet. It will then turn around, lift its tail and… let it rip! This awful scent releases from the glands at the base of its tail. A skunk can spray up to 3 metres and repeat 5 or 6 times if needed. If in the eyes, it can cause temporary blindness and it smells so horrid that it makes the predator feel sick. Most predators learn to stay away, but what's more of a threat to a skunk is getting hit by a car.

Skunks and Humans

Skunks make themselves at home when it comes to people. There are reports of them coming through pet doors into houses, eating with the family cat and sleeping in a comfy, quiet closet at night. They annoy humans by looking for food in their rubbish and digging up holes in their lawns looking for insects.

By Mridula :)