To quote a recent Park visitor, “Hey, look. A skunk in a trunk!” Skunks are talented diggers, able to excavate their own dens to raise kits and escape winter weather, but these clever mammals often save time and energy by borrowing burrows abandoned by woodchucks and finding other prefab homes. Mostly active at night, skunks take advantage of convenient daytime resting places like hollow logs, culverts, wood piles, rock walls, and under buildings. The skunk at the Park clearly has a favorite hol

The striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) is a skunk of the genus Mephitis that occurs across much of North America, including southern Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. It is currently listed as least concern by the IUCN on account of its wide range and ability to adapt to human-modified environments. The striped skunk is omnivorous, it eats both meat and plants. Its diet includes insects, small mammals, fish, crustaceans, fruits, nuts, leaves, grasses and carrion (dead animals). Disc

Sound up! A Canada lynx crosses paths (and engages in a standoff) with a striped skunk, a much smaller animal armed with a powerful defense. Interactions like this remind us how every species, from top carnivores to bold scavengers, plays a vital role, and relies on the precious natural resources, in the Swan Valley’s ecosystem. Through our Rare Carnivore Monitoring Program, Swan Valley Connections monitors species like lynx and wolverine, using camera traps, genetics, and tracking. These effort

Meet Marigold, our floofy 5-month-old striped skunk kit. Marigold made her public debut at the Forest & Wetlands habitat. She will soon be introduced to our male skunk, 2-year-old Sundew. Learn more at nwtrek.org/marigold-the-skunk-kit🦨 | Northwest Trek Wildlife Park