Skunks

All skunks are born with black and white stripes. As they mature, some species develop spots and brown or cream coloring.

Skunks are not easily phased by other creatures as they mostly seem to fear the smell of the skunk and are quick to grant right-of-way. An exception being owls, who have a very poor sense of smell and will prey on skunks. They are docile until provoked. A provoked skunk will hiss, stamp its feat, dance around, flip its tail up and some even dance on their front paws communicate dissatisfaction with present company. Only after all this will it spray. Due to their docile nature, they are sometimes tamed and kept as pets in locations where it is legal to do so. The scent glands are almost universally removed from pet skunks. However, such surgery in the UK is considered a cosmetic operation and thus banned by animal protection laws. A pet skunk in the UK is an odorous risk.