I have learned a bit about skunks in the past few days.
I have never been a huge fan of skunks other than that beloved cartoon character Pepé Le Pew.
I mean really–who loves skunks? I have memories of my brother practicing his taxidermy skills during college on a skunk or at least I think that memory is correct. I DO remember riding home with him one time with some decaying animal hanging from a garbage bag from the trunk because he didn’t want the trunk to stink. You can imagine how many people pulled up next to us to try to alert us to the fact that something was hanging from our trunk.
But I digress.
As usual.
While I stayed with my sister and brother in law we smelled a lovely skunk smell a couple of nights. There is nothing quite like that smell. We were trying to discern from whence the smell was coming .
Their deck is built so that there is no spot under it to crawl in which was an edict of my wise brother in law. However there was a small space on either side of the steps that a crafty critter could possibly squeeze into. But no way no how was I going to check. My sisterly love only goes so far.
What I did offer up was a Google search to find out a bit about skunks. So for your amusement today here are a few facts I found from Wikipedia. I know —you always learn something when you stop by my blog, don’t you?
- Skunks are usually the strong silent type but when they do make noise they can make the following sounds: squeal, hiss, screech, whimper, grumble, smack their lips, and stomp loudly. So if they can smack them they must have them. I can’t imagine what that sounds like on a skunk.
- Skunks come not only in black and white but also in brown, cream and ginger colors.
- All skunks are striped from birth in some way.
- Skunks are omnivores – they eat insects, larvae, earthworms, rodents, lizards, grubs, frogs, snakes and eggs, berries, roots, nuts and leaves to name a few things in their diet. They are also scavengers so if they live where humans live they might hunt for garbage.
- They have horrible eyesight but a great sense of smell and hearing. This might explain why so many are found squished on the roads. I guess they don’t mind smelling themselves.
- Skunks can spray with a great sense of accuracy and the spray can reach 10 feet and be smelled up to 3 and a half miles downwind. They don’t spray recklessly as it takes up to 10 days to produce more of the aromatic liquid.
I think that is enough skunk facts for today. Aren’t you glad you stopped by? Don’t forget to leave a comment. All comments this month go to support the Highland Youth Garden.
By the way, no skunk was found but it continues to waltz through their yard judging from the smell it leaves behind.
30 Comments
Leave a commentI don’t think I ever actually smelled skunk and I’ve only seen a few at wildlife rehabs. So funny that they smack their lips.
Also, I don’t know why it how but I finally get your posts in my email again and that makes me happy, since I’m the worst in remembering to stop by and read. 🙂
You would know it if you smelled it! 🙂 They are not a fun smell to smell at all. Glad my posts are showing up again. I swear I will never figure out how this stuff works (or doesn’t work) at times.
That smell! InswesrnI can smell,it just from reading your fun post! I would like to see a ginger one.
A ginger one would be very cool, wouldn’t it? And somehow cuter?
Thanks Beth! Looks like I may have to give up typing on my ipad- thanks for not minding the extra jumble of letters!
Totally understand. Totally. Phone typing is my nemesis as well. 🙂
We had the occasional skunk on the farm and their smell lasts forever. We tried to wash it off the dog but it was an exercise in futility. They look so cute and cuddly but believe me it is best to keep your distance.
Yes. Cute and cuddly but only from a distance.
Way back when, when Geoff and I first moved to Hastings, we rented an apartment on the top floor of a 2 family house. The landlord lived downstairs. They had a dog. One day that dog was sprayed by a skunk. Oh my gosh. That poor dog, and house, and tenants……
There is nothing quite like that smell, is there? It lingers like the smell of a dirty diaper. 🙂
Occasionally we smell one in our backyard, about the time we are settling into bed for the night. With woods behind our house, who knows where it lurks. Randy once stepped outside to see if he could see the skunk. As he rounded the corner of the garage, there the bugger stood. Lucky for Randy he wasn’t sprayed.
His younger brother, as a child, picked up a baby skunk and brought it to the house to show his siblings and parents the “kitty” he’d found.
With woods around I am sure you have them hanging out. They really are cute —from a distance. Funny story about his brother—hopefully it had not discovered how to protect itself yet with spraying.
Oh, there is nothing quite so pungent as skunk! Unfortunately, they do frequent our place and I just hate it when they spray at night and our bedroom windows are open. GAG! The odor has actually awakened me in the middle of the night. Our now dearly departed cat tangled with a skunk – not once, but twice! – and we had to try to deodorize her. The only thing that worked somewhat well was a mixture of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and dishwashing soap. And kitty just couldn’t understand why we wouldn’t let her into the house.
Oh my goodness –that poor kitty. Ugh. I can not imagine trying to give a cat a bath successfully in any way. At least mine don’t like baths much at all. Ugh.
Let’s just say it was quite the experience. Hubby did it, bless his heart.
He must be a saint.
He is! He’s put up with me for 40+ years. 😉
I never minded the basic odor of a passing skunk. It’s like a warning not to provoke the skunk to intensify it, but it’s not as bad as some chemical or bacterial odors.
I lived with two, Pepe (a big Hognose Skunk) and Hepzibah (a pretty little Striped Skunk), as residents–companions to the cats and possums–for years. Pepe was big enough that I would have expected the others to be afraid of him, but they all seemed to get along…
One way skunks earn their keep is that they like to dig out and eat colonies of ground-nesting wasps. Apparently they don’t mind the stings. They’ll even eat European Hornets. I was very grateful to the skunks, have missed them (both were eventually killed by motor vehicles), and hope to attract another one some day…
Though rabies is a concern, with skunks. The cats get vaccinated just in case.
Well I think they are adorable and yes–they do some great work especially if they eat ground nesting wasps. Hate those things! I think yours were pretty amazing and loved reading about them. Thanks so much for sharing!
I didn’t know that skunks were other colors, thought they were only black and white. Learned something from you today.
Yay! My job here is done. Yes–the other colors are fairly rare and we are probably never going to see them and that is a ok with me! Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you for clearing that up, Beth Ann. We always smell them on our way to our daughter’s and accuse one of the granddaughters of making skunk soup for us. I will have to share this with her.
I am here to educate. Haha. Not really. But I learned a lot when I was writing this post. Not that I will ever need this information but oh well….
You just never know…;)
Skunk facts part II!!
You just never know what you are gonna read on It’s Just Life. 🙂
I had a friend as well that lived in the country. She kept telling her mom she wanted to play with the baby kitties. When her mom went to the wooded area, there was a litter of skunks.That time she did not get sprayed.
Another time, an adult skunk sprayed her. The home cure was to take a bath in tomato sauce for a few days to take the smell away-something about the acid in Tomatoes. I wonder how many gallons of tomato sauce they needed.
Oh my goodness. That smell just stays around forever. I remember tomato juice/sauce being the cure as well but obviously it takes awhile to work the smell out. I can not imagine getting sprayed and how long it must take to get rid of it. Best advice –stay away from skunks of any kind. 🙂
Of course skunks have lips, all mammals do! I guess that wasn’t really in question…
That brings to mind an experience I had at ONU, while I was a biology student. Beth Ann may actually remember this. I had acquired a road-killed skunk, and was planning on skinning and stuffing the animal for the mammal collection at the University. Anyway, I had this great idea (well, I thought it was a great idea), to go up to the roof of the Meyer building, where the biology department was housed, to do my skinning, in case I nicked the scent gland. Well, I nicked the scent gland, and it was a little smelly, but I didn’t think it was a big deal. I ended up producing a pretty awesome museum skin, which I am sure still resides in the University collection. Unfortunately, I guess the smell of this skunk flowed down the sides of the Meyer building, and infiltrated the engineering building, next door. I didn’t learn this until the next day, but they evacuated the entire building. What a bunch of pansies, those engineers!
I knew there was a story about a skunk….but I don’t trust my memory for the details and this was it! Thanks for sharing it . I am sure he still resides in the collection with credit to you. And yes—wimpy engineers! 🙂 Love you, Mark!