The striped hog-nosed skunk (''Conepatus semistriatus'') is a

skunk Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or gi ...

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

from Central and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

(from southern

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

to northern

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, and in the extreme east of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

). This species of skunk is considered a generalist species, because they are able to thrive in, and withstand, disturbed environmental conditions. They can live in a wide range of

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s, including carrasco, arboreal caatinga, mango orchard, and dry forest scrub and occasionally, in

rainforest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

. Emmons L. H. & Feer F. 1997 ''Neotropical Rainforest Mammals, A Field Guide.''

Habitat

The striped hog-nosed skunk inhabits mainly the foothills, and partly timbered or brushy, sections of their general range. They usually avoid hot desert areas and heavy stands of timber. The largest populations occur in rocky, sparsely timbered areas.

Behaviour and diet

It is a

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

solitary animal, feeding mainly on

invertebrate Invertebrates are animals that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''spine'' or ''backbone''), which evolved from the notochord. It is a paraphyletic grouping including all animals excluding the chordata, chordate s ...

s, small vertebrates and fruits. When temperature rises during the day, ''Conepatus semistriatus'' finds shelter in cool burrows and rests to maintain its body temperature and prevent water loss. Although ''C. semistriatus'' are predominantly nocturnal, studies show there is no significant correlation between brightness and activity.

Gallery

Striped Skunk Skeleton.jpg, Striped skunk skeleton Skunk heart.jpg, Skunk heart Animaldentition mephitismephitis.png, Teeth of a striped skunk

References

External links

* Conepatus Carnivorans of Central America Mammals of Mexico Mammals of Colombia Mammals of Venezuela Mammals of Ecuador Mammals of Peru Carnivorans of Brazil Mammals described in 1785 Least concern biota of North America Least concern biota of South America {{carnivora-stub