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The striped skunk is a medium-sized mammal about the size of a cat that has a black coat with a thin white stripe between its eyes and two stripes on its back. It is 20 to 30 inches in length with an 8 to 11 inch tail. Skunks weigh between 3 and 10 pounds. Skunks have an obnoxious odor and make hissing sounds when they are ready to spray. Skunks are intelligent and usually good natured.
Skunks are omnivorous but seem to prefer insects and their larvae, mice, and eggs. They may traverse farmyards and buildings, but usually do more good than harm by living largely on mice and rats, although they have been known to kill roosting chickens.
Nuisance Concerns: Skunks can cause problems and damage in a variety of ways.
- Health concerns - Even though skunks are mild mannered, they can be deadly simply because they are often carriers of rabies. Skunks typically have a higher percentage of rabies than other animals.
- Gardens and lawn - Skunks can also cause severe damage to gardens and lawns by their digging activities. While searching for grubs and other insects, skunks frequently uproot turf and other plants. This damage consists of small pits ranging from 3 to 5 inches across, or sometimes large sections of sod are rolled back.
- Homes and structures - When skunks take shelter under homes, decks, or in garages, their presence is not usually tolerated by occupants of the building. All skunks have the ability to discharge a nauseating musk from their anal glands.
- Birds and small mammals- Skunks are predators and can severely impact ground-nesting wild bird populations and local populations of endangered species of small mammals. In addition, skunks can cause significant economic losses to egg/poultry raisers.
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