Funny little thing about me; I honestly find the aromatic bouquet of skunks rather enjoyable. In my mind (and I’m told this is only in my mind and that nobody else agrees with me) their signature scent is an olfactory reminder of being in nature and the outdoors. Skunks play a vital role in a healthy ecosystem and they’re pretty dang adorable while they’re doing it. I always feel horribly sorry when a skunk loses its life in an unfortunate encounter with a vehicle and although it doesn’t make it any less sad, I do hope that appreciating their essence and participation in the environment somehow makes things slightly less woeful.

Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae. The family has three genera containing a total of ten species. The most common skunk here in our region is the striped skunk, Mephitis mephitis. It was originally believed that skunks were relatives of weasels but after genetic research they are now classified as their own family. All species of skunks display defensive coloration, most are black and white but some are brown, cream or reddish. If their striking colors don't ward off danger, their next defensive tactic is one we probably all learned from Pepè Le Pew. All skunks produce a yellow, oily compound that contains sulfuric acid. This gross substance is stored in two sacs under their tail. It turns out that skunks can hit targets as far as ten feet away with surprising accuracy - especially for shooting backwards! This acrid substance not only stinks to high heaven but it can also cause severe burning, nausea, and even temporary blindness if it gets in the eyes of a nosey predator.

Skunks are optimistic omnivores and find pleasure in eating about anything they can catch or find. Their diet is split between plant and animal matter and alters with the season. Choice vegetarian options include berries and fruit, grasses, nuts and roots while carnivorous favorites include insects such as beetles and grubs, grasshoppers, crickets, wasps and larger prey such as frogs, mice, snakes, voles and sometimes bird eggs. Skunks are extremely helpful and fill an important environmental niche by removing unwanted insects and pests and by cleaning up fallen fruit and nuts from our local environment. They also help disperse seeds and aerate the soil through their foraging and digestion habits. Skunks may also rummage through trash cans, eat fallen birdseed and pet food left outdoors.

Skunks do not hibernate but enter a dormant state called torpor where they sleep and rarely eat. They are crepuscular, meaning they are active mainly during dawn and dusk and usually remain solitary when not actively breeding. Breeding season is from about February through March and four to seven blind and deaf kits are born in around May. They remain with the mother for about two months and after that are on their own. In general skunks have excellent hearing and sense of smell, however have very poor eyesight and can not see more than about ten feet in front of them which helps to explain why you see so many along the edges of roads. Those that avoid collisions with vehicles can live up to six years in the wild.

My first upclose experience with a skunk was while camping. We were snoozing in low to the ground beach chairs when a momma skunk walked her three little toddlers through our campsite in the evening. Everyone was too scared to move so we just sat there while she paraded herself and her babies not amongst but directly under our chairs. Because they were low to the ground, we all felt her back side and tail brushing and bumping our bums as she and her babies rambled through. There was no drama, no one got peppered with stink, it was just an enchanting wildlife encounter that made me realize how incredibly cute they are.

My second intimate encounter was a little less endearing and it will probably affect my affinity for skunk musk. The encounter in question happened at 3:00 in the morning, well before the sun appears and clear thinking emerges. We have a small dog that declared his need to go outside during the dark of early morning. In his urgent request to void his bladder, he failed to see the skunk enjoying an early breakfast of cat food near the front door. The two surprised each other and the result was less than optimal. He sprinted back into the house at lightning speed. Even if he wasn’t all greased up with skunk juice we wouldn’t have been able to grab him because he was moving so fast. Not only did he leave a trail of odoriferousness through the living room so thick that you can almost see it but he went directly to his favorite hideout - under the bed. So now we have a terrified, drooling, snarling little snapping turtle who desperately needs to hit the showers taking indefinite refuge under the bed and a stench that is stinging my olfactory bulb just by recollection of the entire event. After some sweet talk we finally got him out from behind the comforter and into a tub of tomato juice. After a few rounds with that and some deodorizing shampoo he smells a lot better but the scent in the rest of the abode lingers on (and on, and on and on…).

Although I don’t hate the smell from a distance, I will admit it’s quite gamey when you’re marinating in it. It is, however, a very effective defensive mechanism; I think we need a new house.