Mephitis mephitis

Striped skunks are primarily nocturnal and solitary, spending the day inside burrows, hollow logs, brush piles, or spaces beneath buildings. They are opportunistic omnivores, and when threatened they usually stamp their feet, arch their backs, and raise their tails before releasing a powerful defensive spray.

Breeding generally occurs from February to April, and females usually produce one litter each year. After a gestation period of about 59–77 days, including possible delayed implantation, the female gives birth to two to ten kits and raises them without assistance from the male.

Striped skunks have stocky bodies, short legs, strong digging claws, small rounded ears, and long bushy tails. Their black coats usually bear two prominent white stripes, while enlarged scent glands near the tail can discharge an irritating, foul-smelling fluid toward potential attackers.

Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber formally described the species in 1776 under the original name Viverra mephitis. Skunks were historically grouped with weasels in the family Mustelidae, but molecular evidence now supports placing them in their own family, Mephitidae.

The striped skunk is classified as Least Concern and remains widespread and abundant across much of North America. Although it is not globally threatened, individuals are affected by road collisions, disease outbreaks, exposure to chemicals, hunting, and deliberate control near human settlements.