CreatureData

Eastern spotted skunk

Spilogale putorius (Linnaeus, 1758)

VUVulnerablemammals

The eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius) is a species in the family Mephitidae, order Carnivora. Recorded adults weigh 341 g to 583.2 g and live up to 10 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.

Eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius)
Photo: A National Park Service employee · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the eastern spotted skunk

Weight
341 g – 583.2 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
10 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Carnivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
10.5 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
33 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
5 – 5.5src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
4.99 months – 6.47 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1.5src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
At night (nocturnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Photos of the eastern spotted skunk

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius)
The original uploader was Mcquoidgg at English Wikipedia . · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the eastern spotted skunk live?

Not recorded

What is the eastern spotted skunk?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius) is a small, relatively slender skunk found in North America, in the central and parts of the southeastern United States and in small areas of Canada and Mexico.

The eastern spotted skunk is a very small skunk, no larger than a good-sized tree squirrel. Its body is more weasel-like in shape than the more familiar striped skunk. The eastern spotted skunk has four broken stripes on its back, giving it a "spotted" appearance. It has a white spot on its forehead. It is found in Canada (southeast Manitoba and northwestern Ontario), the United States and northeastern Mexico. Males, at 46.3–68.8 cm (18.2–27.1 in) in total length, are larger than females, at 35–54.4 cm (13.8–21.4 in). The tail accounts for roughly a third of its total length. Body mass can range from 0.2 to 1.8 kg (0.44 to 3.97 lb), with males averaging around 700 g (1.5 lb) against the female's average of 450 g (0.99 lb). Skull length is 43–55 mm (1.7–2.2 in).

It is much more active than any other type of skunk. It has mostly the same predators as any other skunk (big cats, bobcats, owls, humans, etc.). Up to eight skunks may share an underground den in the winter. It can also climb and take shelter in trees.

The Eastern spotted skunk seems to prefer forest edges and upland prairie grasslands, especially where rock outcrops and shrub clumps are present. In western counties, it relies heavily on riparian corridors where woody shrubs and woodland edges are present. Woody fencerows, odd areas, and abandoned farm buildings are also important habitat.

From the Wikipedia article “Eastern spotted skunk” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eastern_spotted_skunk&oldid=1329567938), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the eastern spotted skunk endangered?

The eastern spotted skunk is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species. What the categories mean.

How is the eastern spotted skunk classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderCarnivora
  5. familyMephitidae
  6. genusSpilogale
  7. SpeciesSpilogale putorius (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms Viverra putorius

Other names and names in other languages (42)
  • Alleghanian spotted skunkEnglish
  • Allegheny spotted skunkEnglish
  • Allegheny spotted skunkEnglish
  • Appalachian spotted skunkEnglish
  • Appalachian spotted skunkEnglish
  • Plains spotted skunkEnglish
  • Plains spotted skunkEnglish
  • Spotted skunkEnglish
  • Spotted skunkEnglish
  • ظربان مرقط شرقيArabic
  • Skoñs brizh ar reterBreton
  • Mofeta tacada orientalCatalan
  • skunk skvrnitýCzech
  • Östlicher FleckenskunkGerman
  • Östliches FleckenstinktierGerman
  • Zorillo ManchadoSpanish
  • Zorrillo manchado comúnSpanish
  • Zorrillo moteado oriental o comúnSpanish
  • Zorrillo-manchado comúnSpanish
  • täpläskunkkiFinnish
  • SpilogaleFrench
  • Moufette tachetéeFrench
  • Moufette tachetée du MexiqueFrench
  • Moffetta macchiata orientaleItalian
  • トウブマダラスカンクJapanese
  • 동부얼룩스컹크Korean
  • Austrumu plankumainais skunkssLatvian
  • Дорнын толбот өмхий хүрэнMongolian
  • Kono-cvlvMuscogee
  • Kono-cvlahuceMuscogee
  • Kono-lvkahuceMuscogee
  • Østlig FlekkskunkNorwegian Bokmål
  • Oostelijke Gevlekte SkunkDutch
  • Oostelijk Gevlekt StinkdierDutch
  • Skunks plamistyPolish
  • skunksik plamistyPolish
  • لیندا ٹھمکنیاں سکنکWestern Panjabi
  • Cangambá-pintado-do-lestePortuguese
  • Пятнистый скунсRussian
  • Östlig fläckskunkSwedish
  • Doğu benekli kokarcasıTurkish
  • 東部斑臭鼬Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the eastern spotted skunk

Other species in the same genus Spilogale.

CompareEastern spotted skunk vs Western spotted skunkEastern spotted skunk vs Southern spotted skunkEastern spotted skunk vs Pygmy spotted skunkEastern spotted skunk vs Yucatán spotted skunk

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the eastern spotted skunk?

An adult eastern spotted skunk weighs 341 g – 583.2 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the eastern spotted skunk endangered?

The eastern spotted skunk is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

How long does the eastern spotted skunk live?

The eastern spotted skunk has a recorded lifespan of 10 years.

How long is the eastern spotted skunk pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 33 days.

What kind of animal is the eastern spotted skunk?

The eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius) belongs to the family Mephitidae in the order Carnivora.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/eastern-spotted-skunk

MLA

“Eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/eastern-spotted-skunk.

BibTeX
@misc{eastern_spotted_skunk_2026,
  title = {Eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/eastern-spotted-skunk},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}