Skunk
Skunks
Joseph Garrison
Possibly the stinkiest animal, the skunk is pretty smart. The skunk is a mammal, meaning that the skunk is warm blooded, has fur and nurses its young. Skunks are also omnivores that eat at night. They eat both plants and meat. Their diet consists of nuts, berries, roots, bugs, worms, eggs, grubs, dead animals and other small creatures. They will even eat caterpillars, and will roll them around on the ground first to remove any hair. Skunks love bees; yes, skunks eat bees. They first go up to the hive, the queen bee sends out guard bees to see what’s going on. The skunk eats those bees, and then, digs into the hive to eat the rest of the bees. The skunk’s black and white striped thick coat protects them from being stung by the bees. There are four different types of skunks: the striped skunk, the hooded skunk, the hog-nosed skunk and the stink badger. They also come in many different colors and patterns. They may be black with one white stripe or two, they may be black with white spots and stripes, and they may also be brown, gray or cream colored. All skunks have short legs and poor vision. However, they do have excellent hearing. Skunks are also immune to snake venom, but may carry diseases such as rabies, canine distemper and a bacterial disease called tularemia. Always stay away from a skunk that looks sick or one that is over friendly. A skunk’s life span in the wild is only about 3 years, but when taken care of in captivity, they can live up to 15 years. Skunks mate in February and March, but the spotted skunk mates in September and October. All skunks have their kits in late April or May. They usually have four to five kits. Female skunks pick out a good spot to dig a burrow to have their kits. The newborns will stay with their mother until fall. Skunks for the most part like to be on their own. In the winter they do not hibernate, but do slow down. Sometimes the females may be found sharing a
Joseph Garrison
Possibly the stinkiest animal, the skunk is pretty smart. The skunk is a mammal, meaning that the skunk is warm blooded, has fur and nurses its young. Skunks are also omnivores that eat at night. They eat both plants and meat. Their diet consists of nuts, berries, roots, bugs, worms, eggs, grubs, dead animals and other small creatures. They will even eat caterpillars, and will roll them around on the ground first to remove any hair. Skunks love bees; yes, skunks eat bees. They first go up to the hive, the queen bee sends out guard bees to see what’s going on. The skunk eats those bees, and then, digs into the hive to eat the rest of the bees. The skunk’s black and white striped thick coat protects them from being stung by the bees. There are four different types of skunks: the striped skunk, the hooded skunk, the hog-nosed skunk and the stink badger. They also come in many different colors and patterns. They may be black with one white stripe or two, they may be black with white spots and stripes, and they may also be brown, gray or cream colored. All skunks have short legs and poor vision. However, they do have excellent hearing. Skunks are also immune to snake venom, but may carry diseases such as rabies, canine distemper and a bacterial disease called tularemia. Always stay away from a skunk that looks sick or one that is over friendly. A skunk’s life span in the wild is only about 3 years, but when taken care of in captivity, they can live up to 15 years. Skunks mate in February and March, but the spotted skunk mates in September and October. All skunks have their kits in late April or May. They usually have four to five kits. Female skunks pick out a good spot to dig a burrow to have their kits. The newborns will stay with their mother until fall. Skunks for the most part like to be on their own. In the winter they do not hibernate, but do slow down. Sometimes the females may be found sharing a