![]() ![]() In 2014 our team began a baited camera trap study in the central and southern Appalachian Mountains of western Virginia. The goals of this research are to determine the current range of this species in Virginia and to identify its habitat preferences. ![]() Geological Survey, Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit to learn more about spotted skunks in the Old Dominion. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has partnered with the Virginia Tech Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation and the U.S. They are currently listed as “vulnerable” in Virginia and have been largely absent from the landscape over the last few decades. In Virginia, the spotted skunk can be found in the Appalachians spanning from Frederick County to the top of Whitetop Mountain in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in Grayson County as well as occasionally in the Piedmont just east of the Blue Ridge. What little is known about them comes mostly from the Deep South where spotted skunks seem to be associated with habitats with thick ground cover such as newly regenerating forests, oldfields, vine-choked bottomland hardwood swamps and sub-tropical prairies with saw palmetto ( Serenoa repens) thickets. However, spotted skunks are no strangers to the ground and will regularly den in underground burrows, rocky crevices and hollow logs or tree stumps. Unlike striped skunks, its feet are specialized for climbing rather than digging which allows them to search for food in trees and use tree cavities for dens. Maxing out at approximately one to two pounds, this species feeds on a variety of prey including insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds, bats, and small rodents as well as soft mast. Spotted skunks are small but fierce predators. Their distinct 4 to 6 broken white bands, weasel-like size and shape, quick and agile movements, and ability to climb trees like a squirrel with big stink distinguishes them from the larger, lackadaisical striped skunk. ![]() However, if you are lucky enough to get a long look at this creature it quickly becomes obvious that what you are looking at is not a run-of-the mill “polecat” in rural parlance. Little is known about the ecology of spotted skunks, however they are listed as ‘threatened’, ‘endangered’, or ‘in need of management’ in many of the states throughout its range in the Southeast, Appalachians and parts of the Midwest.Īt first glance a spotted skunk can easily be mistaken as a “funny-looking” striped skunk with their striking black and white coloration and unmistakable odor. The exact reasons for these declines are still uncertain but it is speculated that habitat loss or change, increased competition with other carnivores, and the spread of wildlife diseases have played a large role. However, severe population declines since the 1940’s have reduced populations to about 1% of their historic numbers. Once a fairly common furbearer, yearly harvest of this species exceeded 100,000 individuals in the United States for the fur-trade. Rarely seen and elusive by nature, the spotted skunk may be one of the most intriguing yet understudied small carnivores found in Virginia. No, it is the striped skunk’s uncommon and lesser known ‘cousin’, the eastern spotted skunk ( Spilogale putorius). What is black and white and rare all over? Certainly not your common backyard dwelling striped skunk, Mephitis mephitis.
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