LARGE STRIPED SKUNK 



inches; females, 2.8 inches. Weight, large male, about eight 



pounds. ^ ^ 



Geographical Distribution.-Practically all of United States 

 and Canada north to 50° in east and 60° in west 



Food.-Insectivorous and carnivorous; insects, grass- 

 hoppers crickets, larva., grubs. Meadow Mice, and any small 

 mammals It can catch, eggs, frogs, snakes, crayfish and 

 occasionally poultry. 



Enemies.-Very few because of protection given by scent- 

 glands-Great Horned Owls are known to catch Skunks and 

 probab y carnivorous mammals when pressed by starvation 

 may kill an occasional Skunk. 



Species and Subspecies of the Genus Mephitis 

 Subgenus Mephitis 

 Canada Skunyi.~ Mephitis mephitis (Schreber) 



t %Ztru ^ °'^'/ ^^' M^ "°^?^^^ ^^ ^'^^^^ Pattern. Found 

 n.f. Canada-Nova Scotia, Quebe?, and northern 



watim^^ ThoVcH) "°^^' '' '''^' '^ ^^^^^ House^^Ke^ 

 Northern Plains Skunk.-il/,p;„-//, hudsonica (Richardson) 

 Size large, tail bushy and heavy, tip broad and w?^^^^^^^ 

 white pencil; general color pattern as in mephiHs To^i 

 ^ngth. males, 29 mches, females, 24 inches; tail vertebiS 

 males, 10.5 mches, females, 10 inches; hind foof ma£' 

 3.3 inches, females, 2.8 inches. Found in "Western Ca^ad;. 

 from Manitoba to British Columbia (east of the Cascades) ' 

 M^nesSt^^'^ "InZit'^' ^^ ^°^-^^°' Nebr^Sm- 

 Mephitis minnesotcE Brass =M. hudsonica 

 Eastern S^un^^ Mephitis nigra (Peale and Beauvois) 



Tail longer than m mephitis, black, tipped with white- white 

 dorsal stripes usually broader. Total length males 2! 

 mches, females, 23 inches; tail vertebra., male's, Tinches^ 

 Wles, 9 inches; hmd foot, males, 2.5 inches females T; 

 inches. Found in ''New England and Middle Atlantic 

 FlnHM "'^1.'°^^^ ^°. Virginia; west to Indiana." (Howe 1) 

 Florida S^un^.—Mephitis elongata (Bangs) ^-^"^^^^^ 



Size medium; tail very long, marked with white on the 

 sides, and with a ong white pencil; markings variable bu? 

 white stripes usually very broad. " (Howell) Sexes about 

 Tf ^^^^^.e- total length, 28 inches; tail verteb?^ i?6 

 inches; hmd foot, 3 inches. Found in "FloridrVfrom 

 vicinity of Lake Worth) to North Carolina and in th^ 

 mountamsto West Virginia; west on the Gulf coast to the 

 Mississippi River." (Howell) ^ 



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