As I drive around Georgia, I often find myself paying special attention to the road-killed wildlife along the way — opossums, raccoons, deer, foxes, squirrels, hawks, turtles and other creatures run over by cars and trucks. The highway carnage always leaves me a little sad.
At this time of year, one creature in particular seems more prone to death on the highway — the striped skunk, especially the male skunk.
Male skunks tend to stay close to their home territories during most of the year. But February through March is their prime breeding season, when they may roam as far as 5 miles during a single night in search of amorous females. (Male skunks are polygamous — they have more than one mate at a time.)
Their lovesick, nocturnal roamings often take them across highways throughout Georgia, putting them in danger of being squashed by vehicles. Their black-and-white carcasses dotting roadsides during breeding season are mute evidence of the peril. A whiff of foul-smelling skunk odor along the highway also may mark the spot where a skunk has met its end.
Automobiles, in fact, cause more non-disease skunk deaths than any other danger. Because of their ability to emit a stinky, blinding spray as far as 20 feet when threatened, skunks have few natural enemies — with one major exception, the great horned owl, which hunts at night when skunks also are out.
The owl attacks skunks with regularity, even though an adult skunk may be about the size of a house cat and weigh slightly more than an owl. Emitting its smelly spray may not help the skunk, either, because the owl has no sense of smell.
The striped skunk is the most common of two skunk species in Georgia, the other being the rare spotted skunk. Baby skunks, known as “kits,” are typically born in May to early June, in litters of four to 11. They begin following their mothers on hunting trips at 2 months old and leave the family in the fall. Striped skunks can survive and even thrive in suburban and urban areas but should be treated with caution because of their spraying and capability of carrying rabies.
IN THE SKY: From David Dundee, Tellus Science Museum astronomer: The moon will be last quarter on Wednesday. The only planets visible now are Mercury, Venus and Mars, which are low in the east just before sunrise.
Charles Seabrook can be reached at charles.seabrook@yahoo.com.
