General Information

Striped skunks are abundant throughout the United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico. Found in both rural and urban areas, they can make their homes under buildings or in hollowed-out logs. Sometimes they occupy the dens of other animals. 

Striped skunks are nocturnal and less active during the winter. They are not true hibernators, but they store up extra fat during the fall to make up for their decreased activity during colder months. Starting in February, they look for mates and start breeding. Litters are born during May and June. By 8 days old, young skunks can emit odor. Male skunks are promiscuous and will mate with many females, while females raise the litter and teach the youngsters to hunt and find food.   

Meet Our Striped Skunks

Three striped skunks, Stanley, Marvin, and Iris, live in the Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center & Woods Garden—Presented by KeyBank at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

Lifespan

Wild: 2–4 years
Captivity: ~10 years

Fun Facts

• A striped skunk has two scent glands at the base of its tail. These glands contain a total of 1 tablespoon of a sulfur-containing fluid that the skunk uses to defend itself against predators. A skunk uses this spray as a last defense; it will usually stomp its feet, lift up its rear end and tail, and make a hissing noise before it sprays. Skunks can accurately spray this fluid up to 10 feet. They can usually spray about five times before running out of fluid. The fluid takes about 10 days to regenerate.
• Most species use camouflage as protection from predators. Striped skunks are nocturnal, so their black fur helps them hide or blend in at night, when they are most active. However, the white stripes down their backs cause them to stand out against a black background. Therefore, the purpose of their coloring is not actually camouflage, but to be used as a warning to other animals. When an animal gets sprayed by a skunk, it usually remembers for the rest of its life to stay away from the white-striped animal.
• Striped skunks live on a diet of fruit and vegetables, eggs, insects, larvae, small mammals, fish, and reptiles.
• Striped skunks like eating yellowjackets. Skunks will dig up the yellowjackets' underground nests, then stomp on them and eat them as they escape. Skunks are immune to their venom.