MAMMALS OF MARYLAMD 



157 



The nest within the burrow is a somewhat wider area lined with dry 

 leaves and grass. 



The striped skunk is polygamous, and mating occurs from Febru- 

 ary until March, with the young being born in May or June. Only one 

 litter is produced annually, and between two and 10 (usually six or 

 seven) kits comprise a litter. The gestation period is 60 to 62 days. 



Llewellyn and Uhler (1952, p. 200) studied the food habits of skunks 

 at the Patuxent Wildlife Eesearch Center, Prince Georges County. 

 The results of their examination of 63 digestive tracts and 33 scats 

 mostly taken in fall and winter are summarized as follows: 



Plant material comprised some 10 percent of the food intake. The 

 only plant item found regularly in the stomach was persimmon, which 

 accounted for about 7 percent. Also occasionally found were beechnuts, 

 acorns, corn, wheat, pokeberry, blackgum, smilax, and a few other 

 fruits and berries ; some of this plant material was apparently garbage. 

 Animal matter comprised between 80 percent and 90 percent of the 

 food intake; insects formed almost half of the total and were most 

 prominent in the fall. About 20 percent of the insects consumed con- 

 sisted of beetles, with scarabs such as June beetles (mostly larvae) and 

 Japanese beetles (mostly adults) leading the list. Ground beetles were 

 also found frequently. The next highest group (11 percent) was made 

 up of grasshoppers and crickets. A large number (5 percent) of true 

 bugs, chiefly stink bugs, were eaten. In later summer and fall, it was 

 evident that in several instances the skunks had dug out yellow- jacket 

 nests and eaten the occupants. Lamore (1953, p. 80) reports that he 

 found a striped skunk dead on the highway near Beltsville, Prince 

 Georges County, in August 1962. The animal's stomach was filled with 

 yellow jackets. 



Rodents, chiefly wood mice, meadow mice, and squirrels, comprised 

 15 percent of the diet; eight occurrences of rabbit totaled 5 percent. 

 Llewellyn and Uhler (1952, p. 200) believe that the squirrels and rab- 

 bits were probably road kills, carrion, or hunting cripples, although 

 remains of rabbits that could have been nestlings were found in two 

 scats. Birds were found in 14 stomachs or scats and made up 7 percent 

 of the volume. One box turtle, one king snake, and several undeter- 

 mined snakes and salamanders were also found. Millipedes vere found 

 frequently in fall and winter and often made up entire meals. Spiders 

 also appeared often, and centipedes occasionally, but their remains 

 consisted mostly of legs, so that their volume constituted a small per- 

 centage of the total. 



This skunk, like its spotted relative, possesses a powerful scent as 

 a defense mechanism. The fluid which contains the scent can be ejected 

 for a considerable distance, and if it should strike one's eye it will 

 cause burning and smarting. Burning can be relieved by washing 



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