WEASEL FAMILY 



135 



LITTLE SPOTTED SKUNK 



Spilogale putorius ^ Limmciis) 



General Description. — A strikingly marked black 

 and white carnivore rather smaller than a small cat. 

 Form moderately thick-set ; head broadly triangular : 

 ears small ; tail long, bushy, with very long drooping 

 hairs ; anal musk gland well developed : naked pads 

 at base of toes four in number on both fore and hind 

 feet ; coloration strongly contrasting black and white : 

 hair everywhere long, the outer hairs hard and glisten- 

 ing, with an underfur of short soft hairs. 



Dental Formula. — Incisors, ^^ ; Canines, ^^ ', 



3—3 ■— I 



Premolars. ^^ ; Molars, ^—^ = 34. 

 3—3 2—2 •'^ 



Pelage — Adults : Sexes similar. No seasonal varia- 

 tion. Color above and below, black with clear white 

 markings distributed as follows : four white stripes 

 along the dorsal region from the ear to about middle of 

 back, then continuing as irregular spots or bands down 

 almost to base of tail; a white stripe commencing just 

 behind fore leg and extending backward parallel with 

 stripe above, and finally curving up towards the back, 

 just beyond the end of the white stripe above it; white 

 spot upon the hip, a white spot on forehead between 

 eyes, end of tail white. This pattern remains fairly con- 

 stant for individuals, but there is some variation in the 

 width and continuity of the white stripes. Youxc : 

 Spotted and marked like adults. 



Measurements. — Length, 18 to 22 inches ; tail, 7 to 

 8 inches ; hind foot, 2 inches. Sexes about the same. 



Range. — Virginia to Georgia, westward to eastern 

 Arkansas and Missouri, north to western Kentucky, 

 southern Illinois and southern Indiana. 



Food. — Small mammals, birds and their eggs, and 

 some insects. 



Remarks. — The Spotted Skunk and its relatives of 

 the genus Sfilogalc are the smallest of the North 

 .American Skunks. In some parts of the country, more 

 particularly in the southwest, the skunks of this group 

 have earned for themselves the name of ".Hydrophobia 

 Skunks " because of the idea that their bite carries 

 hydrophobia. Considerable individual variation in the 

 extent of the white markings and the number of dif- 



ferent species and subspecies described, together com- 

 bine to confuse the layman who would try to distin- 

 ,guish between the different kinds of this small skunk. 

 About 13 different forms are listed north of the Rio 

 Grande. A few of the more widely different varieties 

 are given. 



Rel,\ted Species 



Little Spotted Skunk. — Sfiilogalc fiitorius (Lin- 

 naeus). The typical animal. See description above. 

 Georgia, western South Carolina. Alabama. Mississippi 

 northward along the .'\lleghenies to northern Virginia, 

 westward at least to Illinois. 



Florida Spotted Skunk. — Sfilogalc ambarvalis 

 Bangs. Size small; white markings prominent; tail 

 short. Eastern portion of peninsular Florida. 



Rafinesque's Spotted Skunk, or Prairie Spotted 

 Skunk. — Spilogale iiilrrnipta (Rafinesque). White 

 stripes more broken and with less white; tail entirely 

 black or with only a few white hairs. Iowa, southern 

 Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma 

 south to east central Texas. 



Texas Spotted Skunk. — Spilogale indianola Mer- 

 riam. Similar to Prairie Spotted Skunk, but tail white 

 for about lA, of its length. Coast region of Texas. 



Arizona Spotted Skunk. — Spilogale an:.onac 

 (Mearns). Principal characters of difference to be 

 found in the skull. Central and southern Arizona, 

 western New Me.xico. 



Rocky Mountain Spotted Skunk. — Spilogale tenuis 

 Howell. Terminal third of tail white; cranial dif- 

 ferences separating it from other members of the 

 genus. Rocky Mountains in Colorado and New Mexico. 



Western Spotted Skunk — Spilogale phenax Mer- 

 riam. \\'hite markings on body very extensive, much 

 white on tail. California. 



Mearns's Spotted Skunk. — Spilogale aiuhigua 

 Mearns. White spots small ; size small ; body slender. 

 Central Arizona south. 



Desert Spotted Skunk. — Spilogale gracilis gracilis 

 Mcrriam. Similar to \\'estern and Mearns's. but 

 slender. Northern Arizona and southeastern California. 



Although its coat is differently marked from 

 that of its striped cousin, the .Spotted Sktuik is 

 not essentially different in habits. It is the same 

 unconcerned animal going serenely on its way, 

 in the knowledge that it will be given a wide 

 berth. This variety also is widely distributed in 

 .America, but is much more common in the West 

 than in the East. It is a graceful, beautifully 

 marked animal, with spots alternating with 

 stripes. However, in the furrier's hands its fur 



is usually dyed a uniform black, and for this 

 reason its natural markings are unfamiliar. 



Some species of the Spotted Sktink have been 

 called Hydrophobia Skunk, from the widely 

 prevalent idea that their bite produced madness. 

 This topic has been debated at length, but as yet 

 no very definite conclusions have been reached 

 as to whether man and some of the higher ani- 

 mals develop hydrophobia when bitten by the 

 .Skunk. This may or mav not be true, all de- 



