Spotted Skunk

Spotted skunk species occur in most of the United States, except for the northeastern region, the eastern coastal area, and Montana along with parts of neighboring states. They may enter Canada just north of Minnesota and British Columbia. Toward the south, species occur in most of Mexico, mostly avoiding coastal areas along the western Gulf and the Pacific, though a species is found in Baja California. South of Mexico a species extends south into El Salvador, though avoiding the Caribbean coast.

===Reproduction=== Around the time of March, the males’ testes begin to enlarge and are most massive by late September. The increase in size is accompanied by a larger testosterone production. Similarly, a female begins to experience an increase in ovarian activity in March. Spilogale begin to mate during March as well. Implantation occurs approximately 14–16 days after mating. For the western spotted skunk, most copulations occur in late September and the beginning of October. Post copulation the zygotes are subject to normal cleavage but stop at the blastocyst stage, where they can remain in the uterus for roughly 6.5 months. After implantation, gestation lasts 30 days and between April and June their offspring are born. Although litter sizes vary considerably, the average litter size is about 5.5 and the gender ratio is 65 M: 35 F.

The newborn skunks are covered with fine hair that shows the adult color pattern. The eyes open between 30 and 32 days. The kits start solid food at about 42 days and are weaned at about two months. They are full grown and reach adult size at about four months. The males do not help in raising the young.

Spotted skunks protect themselves by spraying a strong and unpleasant scent. Two glands on the sides of the anus release the odorous oil through nipples. When threatened, the skunk turns its body into a U-shape with the head and anus facing the attacker. Muscles around the nipples of the scent gland aim them, giving the skunk great accuracy on targets up to 15 feet away. As a warning before spraying, the skunk stamps its front feet, raises its tail, and hisses. They may warn with a unique "hand stand"—the back vertical and the tail waving. Thioacetate derivatives of the three thiols are present in the spray of the striped skunks but not the spotted skunks. They are not as odoriferous as the thiols. Water hydrolysis converts them to the more potent thiols. This chemical conversion may be why pets that have been sprayed by skunks will have a faint "skunky" odor on damp evenings.

Changing the thiols into compounds that have little or no odor can be done by oxidizing the thiols to sulfonic acids. Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) are mild enough to be used on people and animals but changes hair color. Stronger oxidizing agents, like sodium hypochlorite solutions—liquid laundry bleach—are cheap and effective for deodorizing other materials.

Spotted skunks can live 10 years in captivity, but in the wild, about half the skunks die after 1 or 2 years.

The eastern spotted skunk, S. putorius, is a conservation concern. Management is hampered by an overall lack of information from surveying. During the 1940s, Spilogale populations seemingly crashed and the species is currently listed by various state agencies as endangered, threatened, or ‘of concern’ across much of its range. The species S. pygmaea is endemic to the Mexican Pacific coast and is currently threatened. The tropical dry forest of western Mexico, where these skunks live, is a highly threatened ecosystem that has been placed on conservation priority. S. pygmaea is also the smallest carnivore native to Mexico as well as one of the smallest worldwide. New research, however, proposes that there may be up to seven.

, the following species are recognized: {| class="wikitable" |- ! Image !! Scientific name !! Common name !! Distribution |- | || Spilogale angustifrons Howell, 1902|| Southern spotted skunk|| southern Mexico south into Costa Rica |- | || Spilogale gracilis Merriam, 1890|| Western spotted skunk|| western United States, northern Mexico, and southwestern British Columbia |- | || Spilogale interrupta Rafinesque, 1820|| Prairie spotted skunk|| north-central to south-central US, also in southern Manitoba in Canada, and Mexico (northeast near Gulf coast) |- | || Spilogale leucoparia Merriam, 1890|| Desert spotted skunk|| southwestern United States south into northwestern Mexico |- | || Spilogale putorius (Linnaeus, 1758) || Eastern spotted skunk || Southeastern US except the east coast; in the Appalachians north into Pennsylvania |- | || Spilogale pygmaea Thomas, 1898 || Pygmy spotted skunk || Pacific coast of Mexico |- | || Spilogale yucatanensis Burt, 1938 || Yucatan spotted skunk || Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico |}