Skunks are one of the stinkiest animals on Earth and are native to North and South America. They don’t really care where they live, as long as food is available. They are tough and will survive in the country or city. Most people associate skunks with their nasty smell and their black and white coloring, but did you know some people can’t smell skunks? They have a condition called anosmia, which causes humans to lose their sense of smell. Did you know that most people can smell skunk spray from a mile away? Skunks are omnivorous, meaning they will eat just about anything such as fruits, bugs, eggs and birds. They are also immune to some snake venom so they will also eat snakes. 

Skunks live in dens dug into the ground and like them to be near water. They not only use their dens to stay warm in the winter, it is also where they have their babies. These babies grow pretty fast but stay with their mom for six months to a year. Skunks are mostly nocturnal. That means they will come out of their dens at night to hunt for food. Skunks do not see very well but they don’t let that stop them. To make up for their poor vision they have an excellent sense of smell and fantastic hearing. 

In the wild, skunks have built in defenses that keep predators away. The bright black and white color of skunks is the first warning sign. If the colors don’t work, they will stomp their front feet and act like they are going to charge. If that doesn’t scare the predator, they will lift their tail and spray. The spray comes from two glands near their bottom. Don’t get any closer than 12 feet though, they can spray you from that far away. 

While skunks use their spray for self defense, humans have found a use for it as well. Skunk spray has a chemical in it called thiol. Thiol is oily and is added to perfumes to make the smell last longer. It is also the chemical added to natural gas to make it smell like rotten eggs. Natural gas is dangerous and does not smell. Adding the thiols helps keep us safe. Thiols are also used in some medicines. Who knew that skunks were so useful?