Eastern Spotted Skunk

The eastern spotted skunk is a small, agile skunk native to the central and southeastern United States, distinguished from the more familiar striped skunk by its smaller size and broken pattern of white spots and stripes. It is more weasel-like in behavior than other skunks, an able climber that dens in hollow trees and buildings, and it performs a distinctive handstand display, raising its hindquarters into the air, when threatened before spraying. Its population has fallen sharply since the mid-twentieth century for reasons still debated among biologists, and it is now considered at real risk of further decline.