Nebraska Spotted Skunks

08/08/2023

While my field data collection out of the University of Nebraska at Omaha has wrapped up, folks over at Zooniverse are still classifying images for us. *Though, not right now because my old laptop has crashed and I can't upload images. Yikes!*

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission continues to deploy and monitor cameras on a small scale and is still very interested in sightings. We rely on the citizen scientists of Nebraska to help continue surveillance efforts. Without your help, it is difficult and maybe even impossible to locate the last remaining populations of Plains Spotted Skunks in the state of Nebraska.

Please help us by volunteering to:
* Report all suspected sightings of spotted skunks
* Deploy and monitor your own cameras
* classify images on Zooniverse

Check this link out for more info on how you can help 🔍🔻

https://outdoornebraska.gov/about/give-back/help-wildlife/community-science/eastern-spotted-skunks-page-needs-renamed/

Pictured is one of the *shockingly* relatively few striped skunks we've captured on our cameras.

07/18/2023

We really like skunks 'round these parts. We hope that you do, too!

Stripes, Stance, Stomps, and Sass! 🦨

An encounter with a striped skunk doesn’t have to be a stinky situation. It’s those who ignore a series of escalating warning signs that learn about the pungency of a direct spray the hard way. For the most part, skunks prefer to keep to themselves, quietly going about their after-dark responsibilities as opportunistic omnivores.

Skunks are born hairless, but their stripes are visible on their skin from day one. Like snowflakes, no two skunks look exactly alike. Their bold black and white pattern is the first warning sign, a body-worn billboard saying, “I’m armed and malodorous!”⚠️

Great-horned owls are one of the few predators that don’t mind the musk and regularly prey on skunks. Most predators who have already experienced an undesirable encounter are likely to circumvent the stripes (with the probable exception of your brilliant dog 🙄).

Round two is all about posture. The skunk has its full attention on the threat now, raised up as high on their short legs as possible, back arched, and voluminous tail raised. “Not one more step!”

Didn’t take the hint? Let the danger dance begin! Intimidating stomps forward with both front diggers are quickly followed by abrupt slides backward. This is the last warning signal before an irritated skunk turns their business end toward their adversary, and only moments remain to make a better life decision.

It’s currently the time of year when this year’s kits are old enough to keep up with mom to learn the ropes, so keep your eye out for miniature skunk parades! If allowed plenty of space, skunks are guaranteed to provide great entertainment for wildlife watchers in rural and suburban areas alike. And with a bottomless appetite for insects and rodents, they can be a homeowner’s hero!

Learn more about striped skunks including how to prevent conflicts at mefishwildlife.com/stripedskunk

07/15/2023

Fieldwork season was bonkers, but I'm back!

To ring in our return, here's one of only two photos we've captured of red foxes within our study area! To my knowledge, this is the only one we've captured in the Sandhills region! Though, there are still some images to sort through.

Interested in helping classify images? Go here to volunteer on our project: https://fal.cn/3vgx0

04/07/2023

IT'S ALREADY APRIL!

Plains spotted skunks are breeding and males should be moving several miles outside of their winter home ranges.

At this time, you might observe spotted skunks taking up refuge in your stacked round bales. They could be in active pastures taking up refuge in thirteen-lined ground squirrel burrows or maybe secretly traveling fence rows from farm to farm or ranch to ranch in search of females, food and new den sites! They could be in your barns hunting rodents. They might be inhabiting the restored prairie that still contains abandoned sheds or homes on your property! The possibilities are endless!

Please be on the lookout for spotted skunks and report past and present sightings to us by:
- Messaging this page:
- Calling this number: 402-471-5708
- Emailing the team at: [email protected]

02/14/2023

"Hey skunk lady, what's in the bucket?"

Why yes, I do haul around a retired cat litter bucket full of research tools and goodies. 💁‍♀️
It's also useful to beat down a trail in the deep snow drifts out west ❄️💨

So, what IS in the bucket?

- Canned sardines in oil (bait/lure) 🐟
- Skunk bait (bait) 🦨
- Trail camera 📸
- Cable lock 🔐
- GPS Unit 🌎
- Sd Card Reader Tablet 💾
- Cable lock keys 🔑
- Hammer & nails 🔨
- Extra batteries 🔋
- Informational signs 🏷
- Staple gun & staples 📍

You too can grab these tools and get involved in the great search of the state's plains spotted skunks! 🔍🦨

Follow the link below to learn more about how you can get involved:
👇👇👇
http://bitly.ws/AcG4

See our photos and classify trail camera images here:
👇👇👇
https://fal.cn/3vgx0

01/22/2023

We still need your help to identify civet cat/spotted skunk sightings here in Nebraska! Please spread the word!

Some of the best places to search or camera trap for spotted skunks are: small/large farms with lots of cover, stacked hay bales**, shelter belts, farming equipment, rock piles, fence rows with thick vegetation, etc.

Also consider: canyons, ditches, wetland areas with lots of cover, remnant prairies or open rangeland. These are just some examples!

Particular places of interest may be in the southern part of the state along the Platte River (or further south) or in the Sandhills, but spotted skunks could be found anywhere in the state!

**Stacked hay bales seem to make excellent den sites for these critters, so keep your eyes out when you move bales of hay! They might even den right in the middle of your fenced pastures. You could catch a glimpse or a photo of a civet cat!

Help us track eastern spotted skunks in Nebraska! 🐾
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and University of Nebraska at Omaha are working together to find confirmed sightings of the Eastern Spotted Skunk in Nebraska. And they need your help!

✔️ 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀! If you see or find a spotted skunk in Nebraska, please report the location and (preferably) pictures to [email protected]

✔️ 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗮 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗽. NGPC and UNO currently have a network of camera traps (trail cameras) set up to try and capture confirmed sightings of spotted skunks. If you are a landowner, consider hosting a camera trap to collect more data.Learn how to get involved at outdoornebraska.gov/spotted…

✔️ 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗮 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵! Photos from the camera trap network mentioned above are uploaded to the project “Nebraska Wildlife Watch”. Then community scientists (everyday people, like you, who help with scientific research) help to label what animals are found in each picture. Visit: https://fal.cn/3vgx0

Follow Nebraska Spotted Skunks on Facebook for more.

01/19/2023

Fence rows have been some of the best places to capture images of wildlife ... but no spotted skunks yet though!

I recently learned that you're less likely to encounter a mesocarnivore (skunk, opossum, coyote, etc) if you're greater than 500m from a fence! Fences provide cover and highways for these small to medium-sized adaptable critters.

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

12/05/2022

At a quick glance, I thought what the heck is this thing? Upon further inspection, I instantly realized that this was a species that fur trappers historically used to capture spotted skunks on their trap lines!

10/27/2022

BUT it is that time of year! There are more than just leaves on the ground this fall. Good luck to all the hunters! This big fella is one of many beautiful bucks that we have on our trail cameras. Where is he? I'll never tell, but he has taken a liking to our canned sardines! 😜

REMEMBER to keep an eye out for spotted skunks when you're out there enjoying the great outdoors! 🦨😄

08/04/2022

Not a , but a curious felid at the bait station. Can you spot the bait?

Did you know that there are at least 12 subspecies of bobcat? In Iowa, bobcats favored forests and grasslands (CRP, in particular), but row crop agriculture fragmented bobcat habitat and was not actively utilized by bobcats. With increased habitat fragmentation came increased home range sizes in order for bobcats to reach preferred habitats. Bobcat home range-size varied with males averaging 22 square miles (but dispersing up to 154 miles into neighboring states) year-round and females averaging 7-9 square miles depending on the season in Iowa.

Check out the "Bobcats of Iowa" report and other info by Dr. William Clark and Dr. Todd Gosselink of Iowa.
https://www.eeob.iastate.edu/faculty/ClarkW/html/backgrd.html

06/10/2022

Let's talk about ROADKILL spotted skunks (civet cats, pole cats)!

The running list of items I've backtracked for because I thought that they were road-killed plains spotted skunks:

1. A section from a steel tow chain (the sun was reflecting off of it and looked exactly like a black and white road-killed skunk; yeah, I'm officially nuts)
2. A Jack Skellington Nightmare Before Christmas sweatshirt
3. Countless mangled, road-killed striped skunks.

Did you know that our last four confirmed detections of spotted skunks here in NE were road-kills found by regularly curious folks like you and me!?

We rely on your help in order for this project to be successful! Without the help of the public, we are very limited in our efforts to locate remaining populations here in Nebraska.

Please keep your eyes out for spotted skunks along the highways and report them to us at:
407-471-5708
[email protected]