Chapters 7.2

7.2 - Skunk

Avery Mulder,University of Guelph, Canada

Suggested citation for this chapter.

Mulder,A. (2022) Mammals. In The Student Encyclopedia of Canadian Indigenous Foods. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.firstnationsfoods.org/

Introduction

Mephitis mephitis (skunks) are mammals in the Mephitidae family (Dragoo and Sheffield, 2009). They are commonly recognized by their small, black bodies and white stripe from nose to tail. Another distinguishable feature is their foul odour produced by their scent glands. There are a few different types of skunks living in the Western Hemisphere. The striped skunk is the most common skunk found in Ontario. Other varieties include the spotted skunk and the hog-nosed skunk (Neiswenter and Dowler, 2010). Skunks are found in the Western Hemisphere. They live in southern Canada, all the United States and Mexico, and even in some parts of South America (Dragoo and Sheffield, 2009). Skunks prefer to live in wooded and grassland areas, but they can adapt to live in deserts, mountainous regions, or even residential and highly populated areas (Knight, 1994). Their adaptability is directly contributed to their flexibility in eating habits. Skunks are omnivores. They eat insects, vegetables, bird eggs, and small rodents such as mice, rats, and moles (Knight, 1994). Their wide range of food sources allows them to live relatively anywhere. Skunks are very important and interesting animals which can be shown by their prominent cultural background, meticulous preparation process, and their environmental impact.

Cultural background

<pSince skunks live in almost all the Western Hemisphere, most Indigenous tribes in Canada, except for the more northern ones, had interacted with skunks at some point. This includes the Southern Okanagan, Plains Ojibwe of the Mountain Turtle Band, Attawapiskat, Cree, Sioux, Iroquois of Onondaga, and the Algonquin. In the past, most of these tribes viewed skunks the same way that we view them today. They saw them as an animal to be avoided at all costs, due to their horrid smelling spray. Some Indigenous cultures believed that skunks were monsters. Some even thought that skunk spray was fatal, but after a skunk had been killed for the first time, they learned that their spray was not fatal, instead only an inconvenience. Other tribes thought that skunk meat was poisonous or that hunting skunks were bad luck, so they did not hunt or consume them (Kuhnlein and Humphries, 2017). Most Indigenous peoples opted to consume animals or plants that were less of a hassle to hunt and gather. Squash, corn, fish, and caribou or deer were more common and easier to consume than skunk meat. They also offered more nutrients.

Preparation process

The preparation process to eat skunk meat was and still is a very precise process. The first step is capturing a skunk which was no easy task. To avoid being sprayed, many Indigenous people opted to use long-distance weapons or traps (Kuhnlein and Humphries, 2017). To trap skunks, Indigenous people would use a steel leg-hold trap. Once a skunk was caught, they would either shoot it or stab it in the heart to kill the skunk (Kuhnlein and Humphries, 2017). Before the steel leg-hold trap, Indigenous people would have likely used either a pit trap, a rock deadfall trap, or some other variation. They would have killed the skunk either by clubbing it to death or by stabbing it in the heart , depending on what they had access to (Kuhnlein and Humphries, 2017). A club would be a better weapon to kill skunks with since it offers more distance between the hunter and the skunk. Using a knife to kill a skunk would mean that the hunter must get closer to the skunk which puts them more at the risk of getting sprayed. After the skunk is killed, the next step is to skin it. When skinning the skunk, the hunter must be careful to not cut the scent glands as this will taint the meat and render it inedible as well as release a horrible smell (Woods, 2017). After skinning the skunk, the scent glands must be cut out. Some experienced hunters recommend cutting out part of the leg muscle as well just to take extra precautions to make sure the scent glands are not touched. The guts can be taken out with the scent glands. The skunk meat is now ready to be roasted over a fire and eaten. Indigenous people would have likely prepared and eaten skunk in a similar way, though it would have taken a while to perfect the preparation. Skunk meat would likely contain similar nutrients than that of raccoon meat. In 100g of raccoon meat, there is 29 g of protein, 15 g of total fat, 51 mg of sodium, 7.1 mg of iron which is 39% of the daily required intake, and 97 mg of cholesterol which is 28% of the daily required intake (Knight, 1994). Skunk meat would likely contain less fat and protein as there are a bit leaner than raccoons are. Skunk meat offers little nutrients in comparison to larger mammals, and it is said to not taste very good, so Indigenous people preferred to eat other animals and plants such as deer, caribou, corn/maize, and fish (Kuhnlein and Humphries, 2017).

Environmental significance

While increased skunk populations can lead to more people and pets being sprayed, which is a large inconvenience to homeowners, they are a great asset to have in rural and urban areas. This is because their diet includes many pests that would bother humans such as rats, mice, and insects that would feed on crops on farms and gardens (Cantu-Salazar et al, 2005). Having skunks around would decrease the population of these pests and keep them away from humans and their crops. This is not only because skunks eat these pests, but also their smell wards off other animals (Knight, 1994). While Skunks are not often consumed for their meat, their fur was well sought after in the early 1900s. Skunks were commonly used for pelts, since they were quite abundant in the wild and their fur is very warm and long-lasting (Hammel, 1955). Skunk pelts were most often used to make coats. These coats were very popular and sometimes were called “American Sable” or “Black Marten” to sound more expensive than “Skunk Fur” coats (Ontario Fur Managers Federation, 2020). Since skunks are so adaptable, their population was able to quickly recover after the fur trade (Cantu-Salazar et al, 2005). Skunks reproduce annually, giving birth to 2-10 skunks per litter (Cantu-Salazar et al, 2005). This means that they can keep their populations up. Since their diet is so flexible, they do not often struggle with food shortages, allowing them to continue increasing their population.

Conclusion

Overall, skunks are rather essential animals in their ecosystems which is demonstrated by their notable cultural history, detailed preparation process, and environmental influence. Skunks interacted with many Indigenous tribes across North America. While some of these tribes avoided skunk, others sought out the opportunity to consume it. Overall, skunks were quite respected by Indigenous peoples, even if they opted to consume other animals and plants. The preparation process to consume skunk is no easy task. It requires meticulous skill and effort to properly cut and prepare the meat. Skunk meat offers little nutrition compared to larger animals, so the preparation is not often worth the meat in the end. Humans tend to avoid skunks even though they are a great asset to have around since they eat many pests. Their populations are rather unaffected by human activities, shown in how their population was able to recover after the fur trade. Skunks are very interesting creatures that offer a lot to their environment and have more benefits than disadvantages.

References

1.Cantu-Salazar, L., Hidalgo-Mihart, M., G., Lopez-Gonzalez, C. A., Gonzalez-Romero, A. (2005). Diet and food resource use by the pygmy skunk (Spilogale pygmaea) in the tropical dry forest of Chamela, Mexico. Journal of Zoology. 267.(3). 283-289. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0952836905007417

2.Dragoo, J. W., Sheffield, S. R. (2009). Conepatus leuconotus (Carnivora: Mephitidae), Mammalian Species, (Issue 827), Pages 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1644/827.1

3.Hammel, H. T. (1955). Thermal Properties of Fur. American Journal of Physiology. 182.(2). 369-376 https://doi.org/10.1152/ajplegacy.1955.182.2.369

4.Knight, J. E. (1994). Skunks. The Handbook: Prevention and control of Wildlife Damage. 42. 113-115. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdmhandbook/42

5.Kuhnlein, H.V., Humphries, M. M., (2017). Skunk. Traditional Animal Foods of Indigenous Peoples of Northern North America. http://traditionalanimalfoods.org/mammals/furbearers/page.aspx?id=6377

6.Neiswenter, S. A., Dowler, R. C. (2010). Habitat Use of Western Spotted Skunks and Striped Skunks in Texas. Wildlife Management. 71.(2). 583-586. https://doi.org/10.2193/2005-623

7.Ontario Fur Managers Federation. (2020). Skunk. https://furmanagers.com/skunk/

8.Woods, S. [Shawn Woods]. (2017, March 5). Cooking & Eating Skunk. Skinning a Skunk & Roasting The Meat Over an Open Fire. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0E9YCoDyyE