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The Western Spotted Skunk (Spilogale gracilis) is a spotted skunk found throughout the western United States, northern Mexico, and southwestern British Columbia. The Western Spotted Skunk is smaller than the striped skunk. Their total length is usually 35-55cm. Their habitat is mixed woodlands, open areas, and farmlands. They ascend to scare predators. They spray by standing on their forelegs and raising their hindlegs and tail in the air.
[edit] Taxonomy and etymology
The Western Spotted Skunk was first described by Clinton Hart Merriam in 1890;[1] its specific name, gracilis, is derived from the Latin for "slender".[2] Although it was thought for years to be conspecific with the Eastern Spotted Skunk (S. putorius), the presence of delayed implantation in the Western Spotted Skunk clearly sets it apart.[3]
Seven subspecies are generally recognized:[4]
- S. g. amphiala (=amphialus) (Dickey, 1929)
- S. g. gracilis (Merriam, 1890)
- S. g. latifrons (Merriam, 1890)
- S. g. leucoparia (Merriam, 1890)
- S. g. lucasana (Merriam, 1890)
- S. g. martirensis (Elliot, 1903)
- S. g. phenax (Merriam, 1890)
[edit] References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
- ^ ITIS Report. ITIS Standard Report: Spilogale gracilis (English). Retrieved on December 8, 2007.
- ^ Verts, Carraway & Kinlaw. (2001) Mammalian Species: Spilogale gracilis. American Society of Mammalogists, 674: 1-10.
- ^ Smithsonian: National Museum of Natural History. North American Mammals: Spilogale gracilis (English). Retrieved on December 8, 2007.
- ^ Wozencraft, W. C. (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 623. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
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