# Striped skunk (*Mephitis mephitis*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/striped-skunk  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) is a mammal of the family Mephitidae in the order Carnivora. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial and nocturnal omnivore with an adult body mass of 2.1 kg and up to 5.05 kg. Its main foods include amphibia, apple, bee, beetle, carrion, caterpillar, crab, fish, grasshopper, maize, reptile, vaccinium, vole and worm. Gestation lasts 63 days, litters average 5.1 young, and the IUCN lists the species as Least Concern, not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 2.09 kg – 5.05 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 12.5 years |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 13.9 years |
| Main food | amphibia, apple, bee, beetle, carrion, caterpillar and 15 more |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 59 days – 77 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 5.1 – 7.8 |
| Age at maturity | 11 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.21 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Mephitidae
- genus: Mephitis
- species: *Mephitis mephitis* (Schreber, 1776)

Synonyms: *Mephitis mephatis*, *Viverra mephitis*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the striped skunk?

The striped skunk is a mammal in the family Mephitidae, order Carnivora. Other English names for it are Musk cat, Wood Pussie, Alaska sable, Common skunk and Northern skunk.

### How heavy is a striped skunk?

An adult Striped skunk has a body mass of 2.085 kg, with values up to 5.05 kg reported. It falls in the medium size class.

### What does the striped skunk eat?

The striped skunk is an omnivore. Its main foods include amphibia, apple, bee, beetle, carrion, caterpillar, crab, fish, grasshopper, gryllidae, maize, new england cottontail, peromyscus leucopus, prunus serotina, reptile, vole and worm.

### Is the striped skunk endangered?

No. The striped skunk is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a striped skunk live?

The striped skunk has a lifespan of 12.45 years, with values up to 13.9 years reported.

### How many young does a striped skunk have?

A striped skunk litter has 5.1 young, with up to 7.8 reported, and there are 1.21 litters per year. Gestation lasts 63 days.

### When does a striped skunk reach sexual maturity?

The striped skunk reaches sexual maturity at 336 days, or 11 months, with reported values from 335 to 337.5 days.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/striped-skunk