Spot Skunks
| Spot Skunks | ||||||||||||
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Western Fleckenskunk ( Spilogale gracilis ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Spilogals | ||||||||||||
| Gray , 1865 |
The Fleckenskunks ( Spilogale ) are a genus of predators from the family of the Skunks or skunks (Mephitidae). The genus includes four species that live in North and Central America .
features
The fur of the Fleckenskunks has a striking black and white pattern. The name-giving feature is the white spots or stripes, which run in six longitudinal lines arranged in stripes on the otherwise black colored fur, on the rear part of the trunk they have a few horizontal stripes. On the top of the head they have a white, triangular spot, the tip of the tail is also white. The exact arrangement of the spots varies from individual to individual. Your body is slim and the limbs are relatively short. Fleckenskunks are the smallest skunks, they reach a head body length of 12 to 34 centimeters, the bushy tail is 7 to 22 centimeters long. The weight varies from 0.2 to 1.0 kilograms.
Way of life
Spotted skunks inhabit a number of habitats such as grasslands, tree-lined areas or rocky regions, but they are absent in dense forests and areas that are too humid. They are nocturnal animals that spend the day in earthworks or sometimes hidden in trees. At night they go in search of food, mostly in dense vegetation on the ground, but occasionally climbing trees. They are social animals, up to eight individuals can share a bed.
In case of threat they stand on their front paws, they bend their tail over their head and present the anus to the enemy in a handstand. If this threatening gesture is of no use, they spray their strong-smelling secretion - containing thiols - from the two anal glands , primarily aiming at the attacker's face.
food
Spot skunks are omnivores . They consume meat such as small rodents , cottontail rabbits , birds , eggs, and insects, as well as plant foods such as grains and fruits. The menu is partly seasonal.
Reproduction
After a gestation period of around 30 to 50 days, the female gives birth to around three to six young animals. However, especially in the west of the distribution area, implantation is delayed , so that several months can pass between mating and birth. Newborns are blind and helpless, they open their eyes at around 32 days and are weaned after around 8 weeks. While western spotted skunks become sexually mature after four to five months, this takes just under a year for eastern spotted skunks.
Systematics
The following four recent species belong to the genus of Spotted Skunks :
| German name | Scientific name | distribution | Hazard level Red List of IUCN |
Remarks | image |
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| Western patchwork skunk |
Spilogale gracilis Merriam , 1890 |
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 ( Least Concern - not at risk)
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7 subspecies Lives in western North and Central America , its range extends from British Columbia and Wyoming to central Mexico |
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| Eastern patchwork skunk |
Spilogale putorius Linnaeus , 1758 |
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( Least Concern - not at risk)
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3 subspecies is native to the eastern half of the USA , from Wyoming and Texas to Florida |
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| Dwarf stain skunk |
Spilogale pygmaea Thomas , 1898 |
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 ( Vulnerable - endangered)
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3 subspecies Inhabits a small area along the Pacific coast of Mexico |
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| Southern patch skunk |
Spilogale angustifrons Howell , 1902 |
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( Least Concern - not at risk)
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5 subspecies comes up from central Mexico Costa Rica before |
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Phylogenetic systematics of the Skunks
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The first scientific description of the genus comes from John Edward Gray from 1865, who chose the Eastern Spotted Skunk as the type species. This was previously described as Mephitis interrupta by Rafinesque, 1820, and was later synonymous with the [Viverra] putorius , now Spilogale putorius , described by Carl von Linné in his Systema naturae 1758 .
The Spotted Skunks as a whole represent the sister group of the Striped Skunks ( Mephitis ), which are also widespread in North and Central America , although the ancestors of these two genera separated about 12 million years ago. The Belarusian skunks ( Conepatus ), which are more concentrated on South America, are contrasted with these. Within the Spotted Skunks, radiation to the four species known today took place around 3 million years ago, making this genus the youngest among the Skunks. The Southern Fleckenskunk has been identified as a sister species of the Eastern Fleckenskunk; the closest related species of these two species has not been conclusively clarified; both the dwarf spotted skunk and the western spotted skunk come into question.
Spot skunks and people
Since the animals sometimes settle down close to humans, they are feared, especially because of the stench, but also because they sometimes kill poultry. To a small extent, they are also hunted for their fur ( skunk fur ), and automobile traffic, which kills many animals, poses a further danger.
Nevertheless, spotted skunk are widespread and do not count among the threatened species, only the dwarf spotted skunk is listed as endangered ( vulnerable ) by the IUCN .
supporting documents
- ↑ Wolfgang Legrum: Fragrances, between stink and fragrance , Vieweg + Teubner Verlag (2011) p. 55, ISBN 978-3-8348-1245-2 .
- ^ Spilogale gracilis in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.1. Posted by: AD Cuarón, F. Reid, K. Helgen, 2008. Retrieved August 7, 2013 ..
- ↑ a b c d Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Mephitidae in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
- ^ Spilogale putorius in the Red List of Endangered Species of the IUCN 2013.1. Posted by: AD Cuarón, F. Reid, K. Helgen, 2008. Retrieved August 7, 2013 ..
- ↑ a b Spilogale pygmaea in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.1. Posted by: AD Cuarón, F. Reid, K. Helgen, 2008. Retrieved August 7, 2013 ..
- ↑ Spilogale angustifrons in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2013.1. Posted by: F. Reid, R. Timm, KA Helgen, 2008. Retrieved on August 7, 2013 ..
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (Eds.): Spilogale ( Memento of the original from December 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0801857899
Web links
- Wilson & Reeder (Eds.) Mammal Species of the World , 2005, Spilogale
- Spotted Skunks on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010. Accessed February 23, 2011.