Skunks are easy to spot, as they are black and roughly cat-sized, with bushy tails and long white stripes on their backs. Skunks also have a triangular-shaped face and nose. Skunks also have very poor eyesight.

Unlike some other nuisance wildlife, skunks have extremely short legs, making them not too adept at climbing. However, they are great diggers, which is what makes them such a danger to crawl spaces and foundations. 

The skunk’s mating season is around the beginning of the year, and around late spring to early summer is when a mother skunk will create a den to have her babies in. During the summer, you can often find skunks sleeping in shaded, secluded areas above ground. 

Skunks are much less active in the winter, however, unlike many North American mammals, the skunks are not true hibernators. If the temperature gets warm enough in the middle of winter, they’ll wake up and begin foraging for food. 

Skunks, despite their reputation for spraying everything they come across, are actually fairly docile and won’t show too much aggression towards people. Skunks are natural omnivores, and will eat insects, compost, trash, bird seed, fruit, worms, and pet food. 

Feeding your pets outside is never a good idea, as this often attracts nuisance wildlife to your house. Skunks are expert diggers, and digging small holes is often how they forage.