Species: Mephitis mephitis
Striped Skunk
Species
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Encyclopedia of Puget Sound
Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Craniata
Class
Mammalia
Order
Carnivora
Family
Mephitidae
Genus
Mephitis
NatureServe
Classification
Other Global Common Names
mouffette rayée
Informal Taxonomy
Animals, Vertebrates - Mammals - Carnivores
Formal Taxonomy
Animalia - Craniata - Mammalia - Carnivora - Mephitidae - Mephitis - >
Ecology and Life History
Migration
true - true - false
Non-migrant
true
Locally Migrant
true
Food Comments
Varied diet of plant/animal foods (insects, small mammals, eggs, carrion, fruit, etc.) Opportunistic. Half of summer diet is insects (Banfield 1974). Excellent digger.
Reproduction Comments
Breeds February-late March, peak in mid-February. Reported pregnancy rate is 78-96%. Gestation lasts 62-68 days. Litter of 2-10 (average 6-8) is born from late April to early June; one litter per year. Young are weaned and begin to follow female at 6-7 weeks; some on their own by fall. Sexually mature in first spring.
Ecology Comments
Home range up to several hundred ha; males tend to wander more than do females. Population density may fluctuate greatly. Several individuals, mainly females, may share winter den
Length
80
Weight
6300
Conservation Status
NatureServe Global Status Rank
G5
Global Status Last Reviewed
1996-11-18
Global Status Last Changed
1996-11-18
Other Status
LC - Least concern
Distribution
Conservation Status Map
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Global Range
Throughout much of North America, from northern Baja California, northern Durango, northern Tamaulipas, and Florida to central Canada (southwestern Northwest Territories, Hudson Bay, southern Quebec).