How Big is a Skunk's Territory?
Skunks are omnivores, and much like opossums and raccoons, will eat almost anything. They’ve been known to prefer insects and grubs, small rodents, lizards, frogs, snakes, and birds, though they’ll also eat berries, roots, leaves, grasses, fungi, and nuts if the opportunity to do so presents itself. In cosmopolitan areas, they have no qualms about overturning and rooting through garbage cans in search of discarded food.
Skunks will also occasionally act as scavengers, eating the carcasses of birds or rodents. Cat owners, especially, might have problems with them, as they’ve been known to find their way into garages or basements in search of cat food left out in the open. Likewise, skunks frequently dig holes in lawns in search of earthworms and grubs. Skunks have excellent sense of hearing and smell, although they have quite poor eyesight which only extends to about 10 feet, making them vulnerable to death by road traffic. In the wild, these animals are fairly short-lived, often surviving for no more than a year.
SKUNKS SEARCH FOR FOOD
When it comes to finding a meal, skunks are opportunists who would rather prey on creatures much smaller than they are. It is relatively easy for a skunk to find food sources. In regards to preferred foods, skunks are not overly picky. They will eat the first thing they come upon, making it easy for them to sustain in the wild. They spend most of their time foraging and they will hunt at night when not sleeping. Most skunks will be highly drawn to grubs, which they can smell through the layers of soil. Skunks are great diggers, and will make holes in the ground to find grubs and other insects.
Skunks are also known to raid a food that may have been stored by another rodent like a weasel. Skunks themselves are not food storers. They eat everything they find and do not bring food back to their dens. Most skunks will be seen foraging for food on their own. It is rare to see multiple skunks in the same location. These animals are not as fearful as most people think and they generally just stroll along looking for food. Though they can be destructive to gardens and have been known to damage property at times, they are rather harmless if left alone. If skunks do become threatened, they will warn their predators with stomping and noises before they emit a powerful and pungent spray.
SKUNKS TERRITORY
Skunks stay in their dens (burrows) during the day. Another animal digs the den, and they can install even in the basements of the houses and caves. Skunks rarely dig by themselves their dens. The den has a resting room folded with dry vegetation, and when the temperature drops, the chamber is closed with vegetation. Sometimes, several skunks inhabit the same den, and sometimes they share the den with a fox or a raccoon. Spotted skunks can also shelter in tree hollows. Male skunks have territories of 6-11 square kilometers, overlapping those of several
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