Mephitidae

Skunks

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Mephitidae

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Mephitis mephitis
Conepatus chinga
Conepatus semistriatus
Conepatus leuconotus
Conepatus humboldtii
Conepatus humboldtii
Conepatus chinga
Mephitis-mephitis
Conepatus semistriatus

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General Description

Noxious spray deters predators: skunk

Source and Additional Information
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AskNature external link
Copyright
©2008-2009, The Biomimicry Institute. Some rights reserved external link
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The Biomimicry Institute
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The anal sacs of skunks help protect them from predators by spraying a long-lasting, pungent liquid.

   
  "The striped coat of the skunk is a warning to intruders that it can be offensive. If threatened, it will turn its back on the intruder and squirt a nauseous smelling fluid from its anal sacs, often with surprisingly good aim…any animal that ignores its black and white warning coloration may get hit, even at a distance, by a jet of pungent liquid which will cause distress for days or even weeks." (Foy and Oxford Scientific Films 1982:79)
  Learn more about this functional adaptation.
References
  • Foy, Sally; Oxford Scientific Films. 1982. The Grand Design: Form and Colour in Animals. Lingfield, Surrey, U.K.: BLA Publishing Limited for J.M.Dent & Sons Ltd, Aldine House, London. 238 p.

Diversity

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Animal Diversity Web external link
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©1995-2008, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors. Some rights reserved external link
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Matthew Wund, University of Michigan
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Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
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Citation
Wund, M. 2005. "Mephitidae" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed October 25, 2009 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Mephitidae.html. 

 

The family Mephitidae, which includes the skunks and stink badgers, is comprised of four extant genera (Mephitis, Conepatus, Spilogale and Mydaus) and 13 species. While many authors have traditionally considered skunks a subfamily (Mephitinae) within Mustelidae, recent molecular evidence indicates that skunks do not lie within the mustelid group and should be recognized as a single family, Mephitidae, a systematic understanding that is accepted here. Stink badgers (Mydaus) have only recently been considered part of the skunk clade (Dragoo and Honeycutt, 1997; Flynn et al., 2005). (Dragoo and Honeycutt, 1997; Flynn et al., 2005; Nowak, 1991; Sato et al., 2004; Vaughan, Ryan, and Czaplewski, 2000; Whitaker and Hamilton, 1998)

 

Three of the four genera of Mephitidae inhabit the New World, collectively ranging from Canada to central South America; the exception are stink badgers (Mydaus), which occur on islands in Indonesia and the Philippines. Skunks are distinguishable by their conspicuous patterns of black and white stripes or spots, which serve as aposematic signals to would-be predators. Skunks have extremely well-developed anal scent glands with which they produce noxious odors to deter threats. Spotted skunks (Spilogale) are the smallest members of this family, weighing between 200 g and 1 kg. Hog-nosed skunks (Conepatus) reach the largest sizes (up to 4.5 kg). Mephitids have relatively long rostra (although not so pronounced in Spilogale), broad, squat bodies, and often a thickly-furred tail. They have short limbs and robust claws that are well-suited for digging. (Nowak, 1991; Vaughan, Ryan, and Czaplewski, 2000; Whitaker and Hamilton, 1998)

 

Mephitids are mainly omnivorous. They often eat vegetation, insects and other small invertebrates, and smaller vertebrates such as Serpentes, Aves and Rodentia. Mephitids are nocturnal, and inhabit a range of habitats that includes woodlands, deserts, grasslands, and rocky montane areas. They typically do not occur in dense forest. Skunks and stink badgers are adept diggers, which allows them to find food in the soil as well as to help excavate their dens. Some species can climb trees, either to seek shelter or to find food. (Kruska, 1990; Nowak, 1991)

 
References
  • Vaughan, T., J. Ryan, N. Czaplewski. 2000. Mammalogy, 4th Edition. Toronto: Brooks Cole.
  • Flynn, J., J. Finarelli, S. Zehr, J. Hsu, M. Nedbal. 2005. Molecular phylogeny of the Carnivora (Mammalia): assessing the impact of increased sampling on resolving enigmatic relationships. Systematic Biology, 54/2: 317-337.
  • Dragoo, J., R. Honeycutt. 1997. Systematics of mustelid-like carnivores. Journal of Mammalogy, 78/2: 426-443.
  • Nowak, R. 1991. Carnivora: family Mustelidae. Pp. 1104-1143 in Walker's Mammals of the World, Vol. 2, 5th Edition. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
  • Whitaker, J., W. Hamilton. 1998. Mammals of the Eastern United States. Ithaca: Comstock Publishing.
  • Sato, J., T. Hosada, M. Wolsan, H. Suzuki. 2004. Molecular phylogeny of arctoids (Mammalia: Carnivora) with emphasis on phylogenetic and taxonomic positions of the ferret-badgers and skunks. Zoologial Science, 21: 111-118.
  • Kruska, D. 1990. Mustelidae. Pp. 388-449 in B. Grzimek, ed. Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals, Vol. 3, 1 Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.
"Mephitidae". Encyclopedia of Life, available from "http://www.eol.org/pages/7671". Accessed 21 Mar 2010.