![]() ![]() Likewise for a homeowner or nuisance wildlife control agent who finds a skunk in the box trap set in the backyard. Handling Trapped SkunksĪ beginning fox and raccoon trapper may be dismayed upon finding a skunk in a trap set in a pasture or meadow. For this reason, it is not wise to feed a house cat outside your home after dark. Many a farmer arrived to pour the dregs of the milk strainer into the cat dish and found that one of the cats had a broad tail and a characteristic white "V" across its back. In the days of small dairy farms, several dozen barn cats often ate from the same pan of milk after each milking. The remedy is to close or screen all holes and crawl spaces, and to keep dogs confined.Īn interesting side note is that house cats tolerate the presence of skunks. The resultant "dog training lesson" can offend a whole neighborhood. A free roaming dog often aggravates the situation by chasing the prowling skunk. Damaged building foundations and spaces underneath porches serve this purpose well. This happens in early fall because skunks search for cubby holes to spend the winter. One of the most common skunk complaints, a strong odor of skunk essence during the nights of early fall, often is the result of inadequate home maintenance and of allowing dogs to roam free at night. The striped skunk can be a difficult neighbor because of its fearlessness and effective weaponry. Coyotes, foxes, owls, bobcat and fisher will prey on skunks, and collisions with cars are a common cause of skunk deaths. Skunks have been the most commonly confirmed rabies species, other than raccoons, during the spread of raccoon rabies throughout Southern New York. They also can get and spread rabies and other wildlife diseases. Skunks are vulnerable to a variety of internal and external parasites. They may be active even during cold weather, especially during the breeding season. Males in particular are likely to be active aboveground periodically. ![]() Skunks often leave holes in the ground where they forage for insects or tear apart ground nests of small animals.Īlthough skunks in New York retreat to winter dens and remain inactive for extended periods, they do not hibernate. They also prey on woodchucks and other young animals in burrows. Skunks forage at night or at dawn for a variety of foods including berries, grasses, nuts, and other vegetable material, as well as worms, insects, grubs and the nestlings of birds, mice and cottontail rabbits. It is not unusual to see a female skunk with a line of little black and white copies following her across a damp pasture or lawn on an early July morning. Females give birth in May, often in woodchuck burrows, to an average litter of six. Striped skunks mate in February and early March. Residential areas that have both lawns and large, mast producing shade trees often provide optimal habitat for skunks. However, roadside and lawn mowing, or any maintenance practice which prevents the development of a forest canopy, favors the continued existence of skunks. Its numbers usually decline as abandoned fields and pastures become forested. The skunk lives in a variety of habitats but prefers open areas. The Latin name for skunk, Mephitis mephitis, means "double foul odor." Distribution and Habitat The skunk's best known feature is its ability to squirt an extremely potent and disagreeable secretion at potential attackers. Like the more glamorous members of the weasel family, the skunk also has glossy and durable fur that can be dyed uniformly black for exquisite garment trimming. Formerly a member of the weasel family (with mink, otter, fisher, marten), skunks have now been classified into their own family, "Mephitidae". It is about the size of a house cat and has a potent musk that often overshadows the beauty of its glossy and durable fur. The striped skunk is an interesting component of New York's wildlife assortment. ![]()
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