ARE SKUNKS RODENTS?

Skunks are opportunistic omnivores, feeding upon a wide variety of foods including insects, plants, berries, rodents and eggs. Because of their voracious appetite for insects and rodents, they can provide an effective form of pest control in agricultural areas. Skunks are typically shy, timid animals, but given their tendency to live in urban and suburban settings, they can sometimes come into conflict with humans. Skunks are normally nocturnal. They spend the day sleeping in dark locations, such as burrows or under porches, and exit in the evening to search for food. Their presence usually becomes apparent only when the odor from their scent glands permeates the air after being released at real or imagined danger. While not true hibernators, skunks do settle into dens, sometimes three or four adults together, to sleep during severe weather and emerge during warm spells. Skunks use their spray as a defense mechanism when trapped or pursued. Given the opportunity, however, they would prefer to walk away from danger and spray only as a last resort. Being opportunistic omnivores, skunks can also be attracted into yards by things like unsecured garbage, fallen birdseed, windfall fruit and pet food. One of the major problems with skunks (apart from being sprayed by them) is their penchant for digging up lawns in their hunt for grubs and worms.

TYPE OF SKUNKS

STRIPED SKUNKS

Striped skunks are commonly found in the suburban neighborhoods, among other habitats. They are black and usually about the size of a house cat. They also have prominent white stripes on their snout, as well as a white V-shaped marking on the back of their bodies and they are the largest of any skunk species

HOG NOSE SKUNKS

Hog nose skunk are large skunks marked with a single broad white stripe that runs all the way from nose to tail. They inhabit rocky or sparsely timbered regions of North America. A large population can be found in Texas. Their long claws and snouts make them excellent diggers, and they will root through the soil for food.

HOODED SKUNKS

They are sometimes mistaken for striped skunks, but their tails are longer and their fur is softer. Hooded skunks also sport distinctive tufts of fur around their necks. Some hooded skunks have two thin white stripes running down their backs and tails, while others have a single thick stripe and a solid white tail.

SPOTTED SKUNKS

Eastern spotted skunks have several broken white stripes along their backs and a black tip on its tail that's generally shorter than the tail of other skunks. The western spotted skunk, instead has a white tip on its tail and broader white stripes on its back. These skunks are small, weighing anywhere from 14 ounces to 2 pounds. Many animals will hide or camouflage themselves when a predator is near, but skunks give a warning instead. For instance, striped skunks and hooded skunks may stomp their feet, hiss, and puff up their fur or raise their tails before finally using the stinky weapon for which they are most known.

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