Strip skunk

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Strip skunk
Striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis)

Striped skunk ( Mephitis mephitis )

Systematics
Order : Predators (Carnivora)
Subordination : Canine (Caniformia)
Superfamily : Marten relatives (Musteloidea)
Family : Skunks (Mephitidae)
Genre : Striped Skunks ( Mephitis )
Type : Strip skunk
Scientific name
Mephitis mephitis
( Schreber , 1776)

The striped skunk ( Mephitis mephitis ) is a species of the genus of the same name from the family of skunks (Mephitidae) known as "skunks" . It is distributed over large parts of North America.

features

Skull of a striped sunk from the collection of the Wiesbaden Museum

The strip skunk is about the size of a cat with a total length of 57.5 to 80 centimeters and a tail length of 18 to 40 centimeters. The animals reach a weight of 1.2 to 5.3 kilograms, whereby they can lose up to 55% of their body weight in winter. They are colored black with a conspicuous drawing on the back, which consists of a dividing wide white stripe that runs from the head over the back. Another white stripe is formed from the nose to the forehead. The head is triangular with small, round ears and black eyes without lids . The tail is long and bushy.

distribution

Distribution area of ​​the strip skunk

The distribution area of ​​the strip skunk extends over almost the entire North American continent and includes the central and southern Canada of British Columbia , Hudson Bay and Nova Scotia , then almost the entire United States and northern Mexico to the south .

Systematics

Phylogenetic systematics of the Skunks
  Skunks  

 Smelly badger ( mydaus )


   

  Striped Skunks ( Mephitis )  

 Striped skunk ( Mephitis mephitis )


   

 Haubenskunk ( Mephitis macroura )



   

 Fleckenskunks ( Spilogals )



   

 White-legged skunk ( Conepatus )




Template: Klade / Maintenance / Style

The striped skunk is classified as an independent species within the genus of the striped skunk ( Mephitis ), which consists of two species. The first scientific description comes from Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber from 1776. Within the species, a total of 13 subspecies are distinguished with the nominate form Mephitis mephitis mephitis :

  • Mephitis mephitis mephitis
  • Mephitis mephitis avia
  • Mephitis mephitis elongata
  • Mephitis mephitis estor
  • Mephitis mephitis Holzneri
  • Mephitis mephitis hudsonica
  • Mephitis mephitis major
  • Mephitis mephitis mesomelas
  • Mephitis mephitis nigra
  • Mephitis mephitis notata
  • Mephitis mephitis occidentalis
  • Mephitis mephitis spissigrada
  • Mephitis mephitis varians

The crested skunk ( Mephitis macroura ) has been described as a further species within the striped skunk and thus as a sister species of the striped skunk . The striped skunks as a whole represent the sister group of the spotted skunks ( Spilogals ), 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 strip skunks, radiation to the species known today took place around 3 to 3.5 million years ago.

Hazard and protection

The strip skunk is classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) as not endangered ("least concern") due to the large distribution area and the relatively frequent occurrence as well as the adaptability to different habitats including anthropogenically modified habitats. The stocks have even increased sharply in some regions.

supporting documents

  1. ↑ Julia Wade-Smith, BJ Verts: Mephitis mephitis . In: Mammalian Species . tape 173 , 1982, pp. 1–7 ( full text (PDF; 993 kB)).
  2. ↑ a b c Mephitis mephitis in endangered species red list of the IUCN 2008. Posted by: F. Reid, K. slipway, 2008. Accessed December 28, 2011th
  3. ↑ 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
  4. ↑ a b c Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Mephitis mephitis ( Memento of the original from May 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.vertebrates.si.edu 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 0-8018-5789-9
  • Julia Wade-Smith, BJ Verts: Mephitis mephitis . In: Mammalian Species . tape 173 , 1982, pp. 1–7 ( full text (PDF; 993 kB)).

Web links

Commons : Streifenskunk  - album with pictures, videos and audio files