Plains Spotted Skunk

Media
Image of a spotted skunk
Status
Name
Endangered
Name
Species of Conservation Concern
Scientific Name
Spilogale interrupta (formerly Spilogale putorius interrupta)
Family
Mephitidae (skunks) in the order Carnivora
Description

The plains spotted skunk is a medium-sized, slender mammal with a small head, short legs, and a prominent, long-haired tail. The eyes are small and the ears short. The fur is rather long, soft, and glossy. The overall color is black with conspicuous white stripes and spots. There is a white spot on the forehead and in front of each ear. Four white stripes along the neck, back, and sides extend from the head to about the middle of the body. Behind these, more white stripes and spots occur. The tail is usually all black, sometimes with a white tip.

Similar species: Only one other skunk species occurs in Missouri.

  • The striped skunk is larger, weighing 2½–11½ pounds. It is much more common in Missouri. The fur is black, usually with a white stripe running down the head and dividing to become two stripes on each side of the body.
  • Elsewhere in North America, there are a number of other spotted skunk (Spilogale) species. Missouri's spotted skunk used to be considered a subspecies of the eastern spotted skunk (S. putorius). That species, however, is now understood to occur only in states to the east and southeast of Missouri.
  • Spotted skunks are sometimes called "civet cats," but that name is misleading and incorrect because skunks are not closely related to the true civets of the Old World or to cats.
Size

Total length: 14–24 inches; tail length: 4½–11 inches; weight: ¾–2¾ pounds (males are heavier than females).

Where To Find
Eastern Spotted Skunk Distribution Map

Statewide, but least abundant in the Mississippi Lowlands of the Bootheel, where there is little high land for den sites. Historically spotted skunks were well distributed throughout most of the state, but today populations are scattered and rare.

Spotted skunks inhabit open prairies, brushy areas, and cultivated land. They seem to require some form of cover such as a brushy field border, fence row, or heavily vegetated gully between the den and foraging areas. In the Ozark Highlands, they are found more commonly in woodland habitats with extensive leaf litter and downed logs.

Skunks eat plant and animal materials in about equal amounts in fall and winter, but they take more animal matter during spring and summer when insects, their preferred food, are more available. They eat bees and wasps as well as their hives, larvae, and honey. Skunks also eat large numbers of mice, rats, moles, shrews, ground squirrels, young rabbits, and chipmunks. The larger mammals are usually eaten as carrion, while the smaller ones are caught by the skunk. Birds and their eggs are rarely eaten.

Nowhere in its range is the spotted skunk as common as the striped skunk, and in recent years it has declined drastically due to loss of habitat.

A species of conservation concern in Missouri, listed as endangered in Missouri. In the past, the plains spotted skunk was most common in the western half of the state, but it is now extremely rare. The decline is mainly due to farming practices that eliminate the brushy cover this species requires. Pesticides have hastened the decline of these insectivores.

Taxonomy: Formerly, Missouri's spotted skunk, the plains spotted skunk, was considered a subspecies of the eastern spotted skunk and had the scientific name Spilogale putorius interrupta. Recent DNA studies have convinced mammalogists that this animal should be elevated to full species status, so now it is called Spilogale interrupta.

Life Cycle

Spotted skunks mate in late winter, and the young are born from April to July; possibly a second litter is produced in late summer. At birth, young skunks are almost naked, but they possess the beginning of the adult's characteristic black and white markings. They are weaned at about 54 days of age, and breeding occurs at 1 year. Males do not participate in the rearing of the young.

The fur has been used to make jackets and trimming for coats.

Skunks are good mousers and help control insects. Thus they are an asset around farms. Skunks are interesting and valuable members of a farm wildlife community.

The harvest of spotted skunks is now closed due to the species' endangered status.

Skunks consume smaller animals and insects, helping to control their populations; as scavengers, skunks help clean up the woods.

Despite the foul-smelling spray, some animals, such as great horned owls, prey on skunks.

Signs and Tracks Image
Illustration of eastern spotted skunk tracks
Signs and Tracks

Front track:

  • 1 to 1 5/8 inches long
  • 5 toes.

Hind track:

  • 7/8 to 1 3/8 inches long (slightly smaller than front)
  • 5 toes
  • claw imprints rarely show
  • heel seldom shows.

Other notes:

  • In Missouri, the spotted skunk is rare, and populations are declining.
  • The claws often leave marks.
  • Distance between tracks is about 3 inches.
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About Mammals in Missouri
More than 70 species of wild mammals live in Missouri: opossums; shrews and moles; bats; rabbits; woodchuck, squirrels, beaver, mice, voles, and other rodents; coyote, foxes, bear, raccoon, weasels, otter, mink, skunks, bobcat, and other carnivores; deer and elk; and more. Most of us recognize mammals easily — they have fur, are warm-blooded, nurse their young, and breathe air.
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