Pennsylvania Animals: Skunk

drawing by Gardner

Skunks are Western Hemisphere mammals in the weasel family. They are small furry animals with distinctive black and white markings. They are well known for their bad smelling liquid, called musk, that they spray when they are in danger or frightened. Their spray comes from two anal glands at the base of the skunk's tail.

There are three types of skunks: striped, hog-nosed, and spotted. Skunks are nocturnal and usually live in burrows in underground dens with dry leaves. They eat both plants and animals such as caterpillars, insects, beetles, mice, rats, and small rodents. -Gardner

(Patent, Dorothy. Weasels, Otters, Skunks, and Their Family. New York: Holiday House, 1973.)

Skunks are mammals. Skunks are related to weasels and badgers, but skunks have the worst reputation in the family. You probably know why. They shoot out a dreadful fume that doesn't only smell, it burns your skin. There are two kinds of skunks I know of: striped skunks and spotted skunks. -Alex

Return to PA Animals Index