Hooded Skunk Skull Replica measures 2.2 inches. Hooded Skunk Skull Replica is museum quality polyurethane resin cast. Made in USA. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home decor skull or office decor skull.
The Hooded Skunk, White Sided Skunk or Mephitis macroura is a species of mammal in the family Mephitidae. Mephītis in Latin means foul odor.
It can be distinguished from the similar striped skunk (M. mephitis) by its longer tail and longer, much softer coat of fur, and larger tympanic bullae.
A ruff of white fur around its neck gives the animal its common name. Three color phases are known and in all three, a thin white medial stripe is present between the eyes: black-backed with two lateral white stripes, white-backed with one dorsal white stripe, or entirely black with a few white hairs in the tail.
The Hooded Skunk or Mephitis macroura ranges from the Southwestern United States to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northwest Costa Rica. It is more abundant in Mexico.
These skunks are found to be more than 50 percent smaller in size in southern Mexico than in the Southwestern United States.
It is found in grasslands, deserts, and in the foothills of mountains, avoiding high elevations. It tends to live near a water source, such as a river.
The females tend to be 15 percent smaller in size than the male and their breeding season is between February and March. The Mephitis macroura litter size ranges from three to eight.
The diet of the Hooded Skunk or Mephitis macroura consists mostly of vegetation, especially prickly pear, but it will readily consume insects, small vertebrates, and bird eggs as well.
No cases of rabies are reported, but they host a range of parasites, including nematodes, roundworms, and fleas.
Hooded Skunks or Mephitis macroura are solitary, but they might interact at a feeding ground without showing any signs of aggression.
They shelter in a burrow or a nest of thick plant cover during the day and are active at night. Like M. mephitis, for self-defense, they spray volatile components from their anal glands.
Hooded Skunks are currently not endangered. They are very abundant in Mexico and can live in human suburban areas mostly on pastures and cultivated fields.
Their fur has low economic value. However, their fat and scent glands can be used in local folk medicine. In some parts of their range, their flesh is considered a delicacy.