Mephitis mephitis, striped skunk

The striped skunk is nocturnal, feeding on everything from insects, spiders, rodents, frogs, and fresh fruit, to household garbage. Skunks are poor climbers and confine their food selections to those items that can be obtained on the ground. It will avoid living in areas that are excessively wet but will venture close to those habitats if there is a food supply that is enticing. Residence however, will often be far from that opportunistic site. The striped skunk requires a dry den site to sleep in throughout the day. Owls may prey upon the skunk successfully because the skunk needs to have its feet firmly planted on the ground or another solid surface before it can deploy its odoriferous repellent spray.