Western spotted skunk

Western Spotted Skunk[1]
Spilogale gracilis
Spilogale gracilis amphiala
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mephitidae
Genus: Spilogale
Species: S. gracilis
Binomial name
Spilogale gracilis
(Merriam, 1890)
Western Spotted Skunk range

The Western Spotted Skunk (Spilogale gracilis) is a spotted skunk found throughout the western United States, northern Mexico, and southwestern British Columbia. With a total length of 35–55 centimetres (14–22 in), the Western Spotted Skunk is smaller than the Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis). 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.

Taxonomy and etymology

The Western Spotted Skunk was first described by Clinton Hart Merriam in 1890;[3] its specific name, gracilis, is derived from the Latin for "slender".[4] 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.[5]

Seven subspecies are generally recognized:[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Wozencraft, W. Christopher (16 November 2005). "Order Carnivora (pp. 532-628)". In Wilson, Don E., and Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds. Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). pp. 623. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494. http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3. 
  2. ^ Cuarón, A.D., Reid, F. & Helgen, K. (2008). Spilogale gracilis. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 27 January 2009.
  3. ^ ITIS Report. "ITIS Standard Report: Spilogale gracilis" (in English). http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=552466. Retrieved December 8 2007. 
  4. ^ Verts, Carraway & Kinlaw. (2001) Mammalian Species: Spilogale gracilis. American Society of Mammalogists, 674: 1-10.
  5. ^ Smithsonian: National Museum of Natural History. "North American Mammals: Spilogale gracilis" (in English). http://www.mnh.si.edu/mna/image_info.cfm?species_id=359. Retrieved December 8 2007. 

External links