Cool looking skunk!

Our area naturalist and wildlife enthusiast has captured a spotted skunk on his motion camera! Thanks to Ben Shrader for sharing!

“Although I gathered much interesting data checking Tinker Mountain Cameras today(10/28/10), this one photo was very special. The once prevalent Eastern spotted skunk has been in rapid decline for several decades for reasons unknown to me. During the last 4 years of camera studies along the Appalachian Trail the Eastern Spotted Skunk has been a target of interest to at least get some photos so that their trend could be projected. It is humbling to realize that when they seemed abundant it was taken for granted that they would just always be common in Virginia. I recall my encounters with them over 30 years ago as being tame little critters often doing hand stands as if they were showing off instead of threatening to spray offensive odors. It is pleasing to me to now know at least one of them inhabits our nearby Tinker Mountain.”

Smithsonian on Spotted skunks:

http://www.mnh.si.edu/mna/image_info.cfm?species_id=358