Eastern patchwork skunk
| Eastern patchwork skunk | ||||||||||||
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Eastern patchwork skunk |
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| Spilogale putorius | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The Eastern spotted skunk ( Spilogale putorius ) is a relatively small and narrow predator from the family of skunks that in the eastern states of the USA and smaller regions of Canada and Mexico occurs.
features
The Eastern Fleckenskunk is weasel-sized with a head-torso length of 23 to 33 centimeters, to which a bushy tail 8 to 28 centimeters long comes, the females are usually slightly smaller than the males. The size varies within their range, specimens in the south of the range are significantly smaller than northern individuals. The weight of the males is 276 to 885 grams, of the females 207 to 475 grams. The white stripes on the fur are broken, giving the skunk a blotchy appearance.
| 3 | · | 1 | · | 3 | · | 1 | = 34 |
| 3 | · | 1 | · | 3 | · | 2 |
The Skunk has in the upper jaw half per three cutting teeth (incisors), a canine , three Vorbackenzähne (Praemolares) and a molar tooth (molar), wherein the second premolar is very small or absent. In the lower jaw it has an additional molar per half. The animals have a total of 34 teeth.
Representations of the skull
distribution
The distribution area extends from south-central Canada over the eastern USA to northeast Mexico. Forests are preferred as a habitat , but the species also occurs in grasslands and rocky areas where there are enough hiding spots such as bushes or groups of trees. As a result of human colonization, the Eastern Fleckenskunk has spread further west, with agricultural buildings being used as new hiding places and the house mouse ( Mus musculus ) being caught as an additional prey animal.
Way of life
Eastern Spotted Skunks dig their burrows in the ground, they also use tree hollows as hiding places, and burrows are taken over by other mammals. Generally these animals are nocturnal insectivores . They also eat small mammals, birds, carrion and rarely parts of plants.
Like other skunks, these animals spray a smelly liquid on an attacker when they feel threatened. They do real handstands with the anal glands to the enemy. Natural enemies include cats like bobcats, as well as other predators and owls .
The mating season is mainly between March and April, followed by a gestation of 50 to 65 days. The birth of an average of 5 to 6 young takes place in May or early June. In newborn Eastern Spotted Skunks, the fur is still sparse and the eyes and ears are closed. You open your eyes after about a month and receive breast milk for about 54 days. In the spring of the following year the young are sexually mature.
Systematics
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Phylogenetic systematics of the Skunks
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The Eastern Fleckenskunk is classified as an independent species within the genus of the Fleckenskunks ( Spilogale ), which consists of four species. The first scientific description comes from Carl von Linné , who described the species in his Systema naturae from 1758. At times the Southern Fleckenskunk ( Spilogale angustifrons ) was regarded as a subspecies of the Eastern Fleckenskunk, but it is now regarded as a separate species based on genomic differences.
Within the Fleckenskunk, the Eastern Fleckenskunk is the sister species of the Southern Fleckenskunk. The closest related species of these two species has not been conclusively clarified; both the dwarf Fleckenskunk and the Western Fleckenskunk come into question. The spotted skunks in their entirety represent the sister group of the striped skunks ( Mephitis ). Within the spotted skunks, radiation to the four species known today took place about 3 million years ago, making this genus the youngest within the skunks.
Today, within the species, the nominate form S. p. putorius and with Spilogale putorius ambarvalis and Spilogale putorius interrupta three subspecies are distinguished.
Hazard and protection
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The Eastern Fleckenskunk is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as “least concern” due to its relatively large distribution area as well as the assumed size of the population and the ability to adapt to changed habitats. Threats to the species exist mainly in the form of forest fires, the planting of agricultural monocultures, as well as road construction and vehicle traffic.
The fleckenskunk fur is processed to a small extent into fur clothing, but this has no significant effect on the population size. Some individuals fall victim to road traffic and pesticides . In general, the population is considered secure.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c J. W. Dragoo: Southern Spotted Skunk Spilogale angustifrons. In: Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 1: Carnivores. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2009; Pp. 560-561. ISBN 978-84-96553-49-1 .
- ↑ a b c A. E. Kinlaw: Eastern Spotted Skunk (Spilogale putorius). In: Mammalian Species . Vol. 511, 1995, pp. 1-7 ( PDF; 891 kB ).
- ↑ a b c d e Spilogale putorius in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2010. Posted by: Cuarón, AD, Reid, F. & slipway, K., 2008. Accessed March 7 2011th
- ^ S. Pennington: Spilogale putorius. In: Animal Diversity Web. 2002, accessed March 7, 2011.
- ↑ a b c Katrin Nyakatura, Olaf RP Bininda-Emonds: Updating the evolutionary history of Carnivora (Mammalia): a new species-level supertree complete with divergence time estimates. BMC Biology 10, 2012. doi : 10.1186 / 1741-7007-10-12
- ↑ a b c Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Spilogale putorius ( Memento from April 29, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) In: Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
literature
- JW Dragoo: Southern Spotted Skunk Spilogale angustifrons. In: Don E. Wilson, Russell A. Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 1: Carnivores. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona 2009, ISBN 978-84-96553-49-1 , pp. 560-561.
Web links
- Smithsonian Eastern Spotted Skunk (Engl.)
- Jay Butfiloski & Tom Swaygnham, Eastern Spotted Skunk Spilogale putorius (PDF; 351 kB)