Eastern Spotted Skunk

Taxobox
name = Eastern Spotted Skunk
status = LR/lc | status_system = IUCN2.3


regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Carnivora
familia = Mephitidae
genus = "Spilogale"
species = "S. putorius"
binomial = "Spilogale putorius"
binomial_authority = (Linnaeus, 1758)

The Eastern Spotted Skunk ("Spilogale putorius") is a small, relatively slender skunk found throughout the eastern United States.

This small (16-23 inches) skunk is more weasel-like in body shape than the more familiar Striped Skunk. The Eastern Spotted Skunk's stripes are broken in pattern, giving it a "spotted" appearance. They are found in the United States, and are very small. They have a white spot on their forehead. They are much more active than any other type of skunk. They have mostly the same predators as any other skunk (big cats, bobcats, owls, humans, etc.).

Eastern Spotted Skunks seem to prefer forest edges and upland prairie grasslands, especially where rock outcrops and shrub clumps are present. In western counties, it relies heavily on riparian corridors where woody shrubs and woodland edges are present. Woody fencerows, odd areas, and abandoned farm buildings are also important habitat for Eastern Spotted Skunks.

References

*
*ITIS|ID=180570|taxon=Spilogale putorius|year=2006|date=18 March
*IOWA'S ENDANGERED AND THREATENED PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES: http://www.iowadnr.gov/other/files/chapter77.pdf