Skunks are one of the most easily recognized creatures around. This unique creature has been the butt of many jokes, featured in cartoons, and even had string roles in movies. While almost no one can tell you what kind of sound it makes, or what it likes to eat, almost everyone can describe that trademark black & white pattern, and tell you about its stinky smell. That musky aroma that a skunk sprays from it overdeveloped anal glands is so offensive that it proves to be a great defense against any aggressive creature. This is why other animals hardly ever kill a skunk. Very Few animals will even make a meal of a skunk unless they are starving. That list includes some snakes a few types of owls, and on occasion coyotes. Buzzards and vultures will dine on them if they are road kill as well.



Female skunks are a quiet and gentle animal that prefers to go about their secular life searching for food and shelter. They will pointedly ignore all other creatures unless they fear they are being threatened. If any skunk, babies, juvenile, and grown alike, perceives that they are being threatened, they will immediately begin posturing in a show of bravado. This includes raising and shaking their tail, rearing up and aggressively stomping their forefeet, bending themselves over into a horseshoe -shape making them appear to grow taller, and standing on their hind legs and dancing. They will also try staring down the competition. If all these actions fail, they will then take aim by pointing their tail at the oncoming threat (while bent in half so they can take aim by looking over their shoulder) and release a noxious spray from the musk-filled glands located under the tale. While this is an ineffectual defense against motor vehicles and other non-living objects, it will usually cause other creatures to run. If a skunk becomes really worked up, or feels overly defensive (like when protecting its young) it may even chase after fleeing targets.

NOTE: skunks are quite agile and fast. This means they might be able to run as fast as you might! If you happen upon a nest of skunks babies, you do not have much to fear from them. Skunks cannot emit any type of musk until they are at least 8 days old, and cannot control their spraying until reach at one month old. Just remember while that batch of cute little baby skunks might be defenseless, their mama is somewhere nearby and she will fight to her last breath in order protect her babies! When dealing with skunks of any age, the best path to take is the one that leads you away from the skunk.

Read the How to get rid of skunks page for helpful information and to learn more about Does baby or juvenile skunks spray?

Does baby or juvenile skunks spray?