Skunk striped

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

Eastland, W.G. and S.L. Beasom. 1987. Acute toxicity of sodium monofluoroacetate to the striped skunk. Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 38 934-936. 

In contrast to the relatively limited number of organosulfur compounds in these species, the anal sac secretions of skunks contain large numbers of malodorous compounds, which are very effectively utilized in the defensive behavior of these species. During the early years of capillary gas chromatography, Andersen et al. [108] found that 150 of the 160 components detected in the anal gland secretion of the striped skunk, Mephitis mephitis, contained sulfur. The results of recent chemical studies on North American skunks by Wood et al. [109] are summarized in Table 4. Only three of the compounds reported in this table are common to the secretions of all four skunk species and, in two of these three secretions, the common compound is present in concentrations of about 1% or less. Although it is clear that skunks use their anal gland secretions primarily for defensive purposes, it does not rule out the possibility that the difference in the composition of these secretions could also be utilized for... 

Among the traly obnoxious odors in nature are those associated with the defensive secretions of the skunk. As you might expect, these are sulfur compounds. The striped skunk accumulates a store of these and, when threatened, can eject them rather accurately in the direction of a potential predator within a range... 

Striped skunk defensive secretion contains a number of compounds but two are largely responsible for the odor tra 5 -2-buten-l-thiol and 3-methylbutane-l-thiol ... 

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... 

FIGURE 10.9 Major sulfur compounds in the anal sac of the striped skunk Mephitis mephitis. (After Andersen and Bernstein [1975], Wood [1990], and Wood etal. [1991].)... 

Numbers of visits to scent stations baited with fatty acid tablets or prey odor such as shellfish oil allows estimation of population sizes of free-living red and gray foxes, raccoons, striped skunks, river otter, bobcats, cottontail rabbits, and oppossums. However, Smith et al. (1994) showed that the numbers of raccoon visits to scent stations did not reflect the size of their population. 

In a similar study, chicken eggs were injected with emetine dihydrochloride (20-25 mg) and placed along three transects, 0.7 to 1.0 km long. Raccoons, opossums, Didelphis virginiana, and striped skunks consumed 75% less treated eggs than untreated controls if the animals were first conditioned and untreated eggs... 

Andersen, K. K. and Bernstein, D. T. (1975). Some chemical constituents of the scent of the striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis). Journal of Chemical Ecology 1,493-499. 

The defensive secretion of the striped skunk has intrigued chemists for over 100 years. The components were shown to contain... 

Skunks are small animals that wage powerful defensive warfare in the form of spray that has a sickening offensive odor. The compounds that are responsible for skunk spray odor are organosulfur compounds. Although seven or more such compounds have been isolated from the spray of the striped skunk, Mephitis mephitis, it is now believed that there are only three major ones trans-2-butene-l-thiol, t ra .v - 2 - b u t e n y I -1 - thioacetate, and 3-methyl-1-butanethiol5 ... 

Wood, W.F., New compounds in the defensive secretions of the striped skunk. Mephitis mephitis, J. Chem. EcoL, 16, 2057-2065, 1990. 

Thiols and many other sulfur compounds have nauseating aromas. They are found in substances as different as the defensive spray of the North American striped skunk, onions, and garlic. 

LARIVIERE S., MESSIER, F., Aposematic behaviour in the striped skunk. Mephitis mephitis, Ethol, 1996, 102, 986-992. 

Sulfur compounds (72-92) have been identified as malodorous components of the anal sac secretion from the striped skunk Mephites mephites 316), the polecat Mustela putorius 317-319), the stoat Mus-tela erminea 317, 320), the mink Mustela vison 317, 321), the ferret Mustela putorius forma furo 318, 322) and the weasel Mustela nivalis... 

Andersen, K.K., and D.T. Bernstein Some Chemical Constituents of the Scent of the Striped Skunk Mephites mephites). J. Chem. Ecol. 1, 493-499 (1975). 

Andersen, K.K., D.T. Berstein, R.L. Caret, and L.J. Romanczyk, Jr. Chemical Constituents of the Defensive Secretion of the Striped Skunk (Mephites mephites). Tetrahedron 38, 1965-1970 (1982). 

The striped skunk Mephitis mephitis) sprays a foul mixture of thiols at Its enemies. 

Beckmann studied the scent of the Phillipine teledu and reported In 1896 that It contained 1-butanethlol. Aldrich reported In the same year that striped skunk scent contained "one of the butyl mercaptans" and, most likely 3-methylbutanethiol. With the passage of time, the actual facts were mixed up and most North American chemists were erroneously taught that skunk scent owed Its odor to 1-butanethlol. Elemental analysis of steam distilled zorrino scent... 

In our initial study we investigated the major volatile organic constituents of the scent of the striped skunk. The scent was collected by a commercial skunk breeder from live young male and female skunks during surgical removal of their anal scent glands. 

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