Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, May 9, 1993                   TAG: 9305070180
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Patricia Held
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WHAT A TAIL! WHAT AN EATER! WHAT AN AIM!

I have sighted them, both dead and alive while driving along roadways in the safety of a vehicle. And I've been with my dog when she has been the unfortunate victim of a skunk's wrath. I've even caught a skunk in a Havahart trap and have had the unenviable task of releasing it back into the wild.

I received a letter once from a reader who had more than a dozen skunks regularly visit his back yard. He could put on his floodlights and watch as they worked over his lawn in search of grubs each night. Some of his nighttime visitors got to be such regulars that he could identify them on sight.

Just about the size of a house cat, the striped skunk, which is the only skunk species found in our area, has lovely black fur marked with white. Its markings are quite distinctive, and vary enough so that one skunk can be differentiated from the next.

The skunk's stride is slow and deliberate. About one-third of its body is tail. And what a truly outstanding tail it is! Jet black and lightly tipped with white, it is nearly as broad as it is wide, and looks like an undulant feathery plume.

It is this wonderful tail that sends most foes running. Few animals wish to deal with this creature. A quick swish of its tail is all that is necessary to keep everyone at bay.

Two scent glands are located at the base of the skunk's tail. These glands produce a pungent-smelling sulfide called mercaptan, which, when it comes into contact with another animal, can cause temporary blindness and a burning sensation that is as terrible as the powerfully strong odor that remains with its unfortunate victim.

While the odor it produces is strong, the skunk is a clean little animal, and does not smell itself. The odor that we are all accustomed to is used purely for protection, and not for the skunk's personal adornment.

The skunk has full control of its spraying ability. With remarkable precision it can reach an enemy 12 feet away - and can even hit a moving target!

It will spray only after considerable warning and as a last resort. Just prior to spraying, the well-armed skunk stomps its feet and sways from side to side. This serves as an advance notice to its attacker to get out of the way or else.

Usually the skunk is a nocturnal animal. Sometimes, especially if food and water are scarce, it comes out during the daytime. Its diet is greatly influenced by what is available. Assorted berries, turtle eggs, toads, frogs, snakes and a large variety of insects and grubs are included in its diet. Lawns that are infested with beetle larvae are a prime target. The long curved claws on a skunk's front feet easily expose the sleeping larvae of Japanese beetles, sow bugs, snails and millipedes.

Just prior to winter, the skunk will consume an enormous quantity of food. While not a true hibernator, it will nap during cold spells, and it relies on this extra layer of fat for fuel.

The skunk will often hole up in a dug-out den. While it is a skilled burrower, the skunk often uses woodchuck dens. It enlarges and redecorates to suit its own needs. The skunk will sometimes move under a porch or shed. While this may not please the other occupants, it seems to suit the skunk just fine.

From time to time, I have received calls from distressed homeowners with this exact problem. They want the skunk out, but do not know how to persuade it to calmly vacate the premises.

Obviously, the object is to keep the skunk from becoming so upset that it will spray. Two methods have been recommended to me by wildlife biologists. One is to blast loud music in the area where the skunk has invaded. Or, leave a lilac-scented air freshener in the area. Once the skunk, or skunks, are gone, seal off all openings so they cannot return.

Always avoid handling skunks, even young ones. In addition to spraying, skunks, like all mammals, carry rabies.

Patricia Held will respond to readers' questions on the plant and animal wildlife in the region. Mail inquiries to: Patricia Held, P.O. Box 65, Goode, Va. 24556.

Patricia Held is a Bedford County free-lance writer and author specializing in natural history.