Leigh Overman, age 14, of Charlotte, N.C., for her question:

HOW DOES THE SKUNK MAKE HIS BAD ODOR?

If your nose has ever caught the distinctive foul odor of a skunk on the evening air and the source of the smell was identified for you as that of a skunk, you'll always be able to identify it in the future on a second's notice. There's no other odor like it.

Musk is the name of the liquid sprayed by the black and white skunk. It comes from a pair of glands that are located near the base of the tail. The odor is used as a defense mechanism and the skunk must be pretty upset before he will send out a spray of it. He can actually shoot the musk as far as 12 feet and usually hisses, growls and stamps his front feet before sending out a salvo. The skunk, who is a member of the weasel family, has very few enemies.