Skunk spotted

Hooded skunk Striped skunk Spotted skunk Hog-nosed skunk... 

Spotted skunk (E)-2-Butene-l-thiol Anal glands Wood eta/., 1991... 

The secretion of the anal glands of skunks epitomizes mammalian defense secretions. Sulfur compovmds in the scent of striped skunk Mephitis mephitis) include rra 5-2-butene-l-thiol, 3-methyl-l-butanethiol (Andersen and Bernstein, 1975), rra 5-2-butenyl thioacetate, 3-methylbutanyl thioacetate, and 2-quinolinemethane thiol (Wood, 1990 Fig. 10.9). The thiols, once called mercaptans (because they captured mercury atoms), are like alcohols with a sulfur atom in place of the oxygen. In the striped skvmk, the thioacetates break down in water. They yield thiols, which have the more potent, characteristic skunk odor and linger for up to 2 weeks. In the spotted skunk, by contrast, the... 

Wood, W. F., Morgan, G. C., and Miller, A. (1991). Volatile components in defensive spray of the spotted skunk, Spilogaleputorius. Journal of Chemical Ecology 17,1415-1420. 

---