Karen Harris, age 13, of Sylva, N.C., for her question:
DOES A SKUNK HAVE ENEMIES?
Most skunks build underground dens and then line them with dry leaves. Some pick hollow logs as the places to build homes. Skunks are nocturnal animals, which means they are active at night and spend most of the daylight hours sleeping. Skunks that live where it is very cold during the winter often sleep for weeks at a time but they do not actually hibernate.
A skunk is a small, furry animal that has distinctive black and white markings. It is probably best known for the extremely foul smelling liquid it can spray when it is in danger or when it becomes frightened.
The odor from the skunk's spray often remains for several days on anything that has been hit. The fluid is called musk and it comes from a pair of glands which are located near the base of the skunk's tail. The spray can be shot accurately for as far as 72 feet. Before spraying, the skunk almost always gives a warning by stamping his front feet and by loudly growling and hissing.
The skunk has a great defensive weapon in his spray although he doesn't have too many enemies. He is attacked only occasionally by bobcats and by great horned owls. Man, in addition, gives him lots of trouble. Generally speaking, however, the skunk gets along well with almost all other animals.
There are three kinds of skunks: striped, spotted and hog nosed.
Two wide white stripes that form a large V down his back identify the striped skunk. White fur covers the top of his head and a thin white strip runs down the center of his face. Most striped skunks weigh from three to 10 pounds and are from 13 to 18 inches long. He is the most common species found in the United States and can also be found in Canada and Mexico.
The spotted skunk has large white blotches all over his body. A triangular patch of white marks his forehead. He will measure from seven to 14 inches in length and weigh from one to three pounds. He lives in the United States and as far south as Central America.
The hog nosed skunk resembles the striped skunk but has a protruding snout and is without face stripes. He can grow up to about 20 inches in length and weigh 10 pounds. You'll find him in the southwestern parts of the United States, Mexico and Central America.
Skunks eat caterpillars, beetles, crickets and grasshoppers. Sometimes they also eat mice, rats and other small rodents as well as eggs, fruit, grain and the rotting bodies of squirrels and other forest animals.
Most female skunks give birth to four or five babies at a time.