THE ANIMAL FILES

Striped skunk

Mephitis mephitis

The claws that dig a den also uncover a meal.

Striped skunks have long foreclaws, variable black-and-white patterns and specialised scent glands. Insects are important food, but their menu also includes other animals and seasonal plants. Dens and stored body reserves help them through cold periods.[1]

Follow the evidence ↓
Striped skunk
Image: Dan & Lin Dzurisin · Commons · CC BY 2.0
Forefeet
Long, curved claws for digging[1]
Diet
Insect-focused but adaptable[1]
Defence
Scent-gland secretion[1]

Digging for larvae

Claws tear into decaying logs, excavate soil and hold prey. Beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars and other invertebrates are frequent foods. Small feeding pits can remain as signs of this activity. Fruit, seeds and some vertebrates broaden the diet, with seasonal and local variation rather than one identical menu across the range.[1]

Patterns and chemical defence

A black background with white stripes is typical, but the arrangement varies considerably among individuals. Two developed scent glands supply defensive secretion containing strongly odorous sulfur compounds.[1]

Cold-weather shelter

Skunks can excavate dens or take over abandoned ones. Multiple animals may share a winter den. During cold weather, reduced activity and body reserves help conserve energy, although short feeding trips can still occur. A sheltered winter group does not imply that the animals continually forage as one coordinated hunting pack.[1]

A COMMON MIX-UP

Is its diet restricted to insects?

No. Other invertebrates, small vertebrates and plant foods also occur in the diet.[1]

TRY A LITTLE REASONING

What could a small pit beside a rotten log tell you?

Reveal the explanation

It could be a foraging trace: the claws can uncover insects in soil and decaying wood. A pit alone does not identify the maker with certainty.[1]

Sources & editorial notes

Adapted and translated from the cited Wikipedia revisions, with source-linked reasoning. Image credit and licence are listed separately above.

Adapted and translated from Wikipedia contributors; exact revisions are linked below. CC BY-SA 4.0

  1. Wikipedia contributors — Mephitis mephitis (adapted and translated; exact revision)
  2. NCBI Taxonomy — Mephitis mephitis (identity and game lineage)

Last fact check:

One discovery leads to another

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