The hooded skunk (''Mephitis macroura'') is a species of mammal in the family

Mephitidae Mephitidae is a family of mammals comprising the skunks and stink badgers. They are noted for the great development of their anal scent glands, which they use to deter predators. Skunks were formerly classified as a subfamily of the Mustelidae ...

. ''Mephītis'' in Latin means "foul odor", μακρός (''makrós'') in Greek translates to "long" and οὐρά (''ourá'') translates to "tail".

Morphology

It can be distinguished from the similar striped skunk (''M. mephitis'') by its longer tail and longer, much softer coat of fur, and larger tympanic bullae. A ruff of white fur around its neck gives the animal its common name. Three color phases are known and in all three, a thin white medial stripe is present between the eyes: black-backed with two lateral white stripes, white-backed with one dorsal white stripe, or entirely black with a few white hairs in the tail.

Ecology

The hooded skunk ranges from the Southwestern United States to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, Guatemala, Honduras,

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the countr ...

, and northwest Costa Rica. It is more abundant in

. These skunks are found to be more than 50% smaller in size in southern Mexico than in the Southwestern United States. It is found in grasslands, deserts, and in the foothills of mountains, avoiding high elevations. It tends to live near a water source, such as a river. The females tend to be 15% smaller in size than the males and their breeding season is between February and March. The litter size ranges from three to eight.

Diet

The diet of the hooded skunk consists mostly of vegetation, especially prickly pear ('' Opuntia'' spp.), but it will readily consume

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three ...

s, small

vertebrate Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () (chordates with backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the phylum Chordata, with c ...

s, fruit, bird eggs, and human garbage as well. Hooded skunks in Costa Rica utilize their forelimbs to throw bird eggs between their hindlegs, in order to break the eggs open. In the wild, their stomach contents include 74.3% insects, with 50% of their diet consisting of

earwig Earwigs make up the insect order Dermaptera. With about 2,000 species in 12 families, they are one of the smaller insect orders. Earwigs have characteristic cerci, a pair of forcep-like pincers on their abdomen, and membranous wings folde ...

s, stink bugs, and

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

s. Vertebrate tissues made up 12% of the diet, and only about 1% of the diet consisted of plant material. No cases of rabies are reported, but they host a range of parasites, including nematodes, roundworms, and fleas.

Behavior

Hooded skunks are solitary, but they might interact at a feeding ground without showing any signs of aggression. They shelter in a burrow or a nest of thick plant cover during the day and are active at night. Like ''M. mephitis'', for self-defense, they spray volatile components from their

anal gland Anal may refer to: Related to the anus *Related to the anus of animals: ** Anal fin, in fish anatomy ** Anal vein, in insect anatomy ** Anal scale, in reptile anatomy *Related to the human anus: ** Anal sex, a type of sexual activity involvi ...

s.!

Characteristics

Hooded skunks are currently not endangered. They are very abundant in Mexico and can live in human suburban areas mostly on pastures and cultivated fields. Their fur has low economic value. However, their fat and

scent gland Scent gland are exocrine glands found in most mammals. They produce semi-viscous secretions which contain pheromones and other semiochemical compounds. These odor-messengers indicate information such as status, territorial marking, mood, and s ...

s can be used in local folk medicine. In some parts of their range, their flesh is considered a delicacy. Other common names for the hooded skunk include: ''mofeta rayada'' (Spanish), ''moufette à capuchon'' (French),'' pay'' (Maya), southern skunk, white-sided skunk, and ''zorillo''.

References

Irwin, M. 2001. ''Mephitis macroura'' (on-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed September 13, 2006

External links

Smithsonian Institution - North American Mammals: ''Mephitis macroura''
{{Authority control Skunks Carnivorans of Central America Carnivorans of North America Mammals of Central America Mammals of Mexico Mammals of the United States Least concern biota of the United States Least concern biota of North America Mammals described in 1832