Western Spotted Skunk
Spilogale gracilis
Summary 6
The western spotted skunk (Spilogale gracilis) is a spotted skunk of the west of North America.
Description 7
"Eastern and Western Spotted Skunks were for years thought to be one and the same species, but they differ in an important detail of the reproductive process. In the Western Spotted Skunk, a very long period of delayed implantation occurs. The fertilized eggs begin to develop, then stop growing at a very early stage and float freely in the uterus. When they ""implant,"" attaching to the uterine wall, growth begins again. Breeding occurs in September or October and the fertilized eggs remain on hold for 6-7 months. In March or April, development resumes, and two to six kits are born about a month later, coinciding with a plentiful food supply. The skunks are carnivorous, feeding on mice and other small mammals, insects, lizards, birds, and carrion. They also eat some vegetable matter."
Links:
Mammal Species of the World
Sources and Credits
- (c) Scott Bowers, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.planetscott.com/speciesdetail/10856/western-spotted-skunk-(spilogale-gracilis)
- (c) 1999 California Academy of Sciences, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=114&one=T
- NPS, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Western_spotted_skunk.jpg
- (c) Jeff, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Jeff
- (c) John Karges, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by John Karges
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spilogale_gracilis
- (c) Smithsonian Institution, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/16146988
