Striped Skunk: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Raccoons, Skunks and Badgers · day 4 of 7

Five facts

1. The city of Chicago owes its name to this animal: it comes from a Cree and Ojibwe word for skunk and means 'skunk-land'.
2. It carries two scent glands holding about 15 ml of musk each. It can spray this oily, yellow liquid several metres.
3. Even young kits, whose musk is not ready yet, take up the defensive pose by instinct when they feel threatened.
4. In winter it saves energy by cooling its body from 38 °C to 32 °C. Living off its fat, it can lose up to half its weight.
5. It tears open rotting logs to find grubs and digs for insects, leaving small pits that give away where it has been.

The quiz

1. Which big city's name means 'skunk-land'?

• Toronto
• Chicago (correct)
• Boston
• Denver

Chicago comes from the Cree and Ojibwe word shee-gawk.

2. About how much musk does each of its two scent glands hold?

• 1 litre
• 500 ml
• 250 ml
• 15 ml (correct)

Each gland holds about 15 ml of musk.

3. What do young kits do when threatened, even before their musk is ready?

• They take up the defensive pose (correct)
• They climb the nearest tree
• They dive into water
• They roll into a ball

They take the defensive stance by instinct.

4. How much of its body weight can a striped skunk lose over winter?

• None at all
• About 5%
• As much as 50% (correct)
• Almost 90%

Relying on its fat reserves, it may lose up to 50% of its weight.

5. What clue often shows a striped skunk has been feeding nearby?

• Stripped tree bark high up
• Small pits dug in the ground (correct)
• Big piles of nuts
• Nests woven in bushes

Its digging for insects leaves small but noticeable pits.

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