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Discover Nature: The Eastern striped skunk

Missouri Department of Conservation

In Missouri, striped skunks are relatively common.  Harder to find, are Eastern spotted skunks. These smaller skunks have black fur with white stripes, and spots.

Spotted skunks inhabit open prairies, brushy areas and cultivated land, favoring cover under a brushy field border, fencerow or vegetated gully between their dens and foraging areas. 

They mate in late winter and give birth from April to July.

Skunks are good mousers and help control insects, thus they are an asset around farms… As scavengers, skunks help clean up the woods.

Pesticide use and farming practices that eliminate habitat have contributed to their decline, and today, the spotted skunk is listed as endangered in Missouri.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=TD_4HSEbQhY

Discover Nature is heard Tuesday afternoon and Thursday morning on KBIA. It is brought to you by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Discover Nature is a production of the Missouri Department of Conservation.

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