Folks agree that most animals in their baby stage are cute? Even skunks!
We were out for a ‘Sunday drive’ near Loup Loup pass when Cindy spotted tiny black and white things on the side of the road. We sped on by as we debated what they were. You know the routine, your inertia does not let you be spontaneous when you are driving. It is really hard to stop, turn around and go back to check out something. Especially when you are goal oriented to get somewhere and have planned out all the stops in your head.
Since we weren’t really going anywhere, we finally convinced ourselves to go back and investigate. What we found was amazing. Two baby skunks foraging for grass on the side of the road. I jumped out with the camera. These two ignored me and went about their stinky business. For some reason I was not worried they would spray, but I did avoid the hind regions. Fortunately mom was nowhere to be seen or I would have fled the danger zone.
Here are a few foul facts:
The most notorious feature of skunks is their anal scent glands, which they use defensively. Skunks are reluctant to use their smelly weapon, as they carry just enough of the chemical for five or six uses—about 15 cc—and require some ten days to produce another supply. Still, who wants to play ‘chicken’ with a skunk?
Skunks are omnivorous, eating both plant and animal material and changing their diet as the seasons change. They eat insects, earthworms, small rodents, frogs, lizards, snakes, birds and eggs. They also eat berries, roots, leaves, grasses, fungi and nuts. In settled areas, skunks seek human garbage and pet food.
Skunks are solitary animals when not breeding, though in the colder parts of their range they may gather in communal dens for warmth. During the day, they shelter in burrows that they dig with their powerful front claws or in other man-made or natural hollows.
Skunks mate in early spring. Before giving birth (usually in May), the female will excavate a den to house her litter of four to seven kits after a gestation period of about 66 days.
When born, skunk kits are blind, deaf, and covered in a soft layer of fur. Three weeks after birth, their eyes open. The kits are weaned at two months and generally stay with their mother until they are ready to mate, at about one year of age. Mom is very protective of her kits and will often spray at any sign of danger. The male plays no part in raising the young and may even kill them.
How many amazing things have you missed because you never went back to investigate? We learned a valuable lesson that day. If your intuition tells you to stop and investigate, you should listen and act. You never know what you might pass by.
Be amazed, Denny
