Patagonia 150 plus

Wildlife

Skunk

Size: 20 cm - 48 cm, and a tail 13 cm - 38 cm long
Body: Furry tail and body, strong legs and long claws
Weight: Up to 6 kg
Colour: Reddish-brown and black with two white stripes along its body
Food: Insects are its favourite food but it also eats reptiles, birds, amphibians, seeds, fruit and some plants. During the winter, when insects are scarce, it eats dead animals and small mammals.
Lives: A hole in the ground on open ground where there is plenty of grass and shrubs and in the hills. It sometimes lives near buildings.

The skunk is a common animal in Patagonia. It usually lives alone and prefers to hunt for food at night. It cannot see very well – no more than 3 metres. This is why so many skunks are killed on the road – they cannot see the cars.

The skunk gives birth to between 2 and 10 young in the spring. A young skunk weighs approximately 28 grams at birth and is born deaf and blind but its eyes open after three weeks. Over 50% of young skunks die within the first year because of illness or because they are hunted by other animals.

Skunks used to be hunted because their hide could be used to make coats and blankets. Sometimes, a skunk would be kept as a pet but this is now illegal.

Did you know…?

The skunk has glands near its backside that produce very smelly chemicals that smell like a mixture of rotten eggs, garlic and burning rubber. Yuck!

If you stand too close to a skunk, it might spray you with these chemicals. It can spray the chemicals up to 3 metres away, so don’t get too close to a skunk! If the liquid touches your face, it causes a painful itch and you could even go temporarily blind.

Patagonia 150 plus

Introducing Patagonia and Wales

Establishing the Wladfa

Wildlife

Food

Culture

Sports

Family

Did you know…?

parotpiws.com/patagonia

Dysgu - Dathlu

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