I do not think it’s an enormous deal to say that just about every adult living, not less than in North America, knows what a skunk is and what it could actually do to you.
Nor does it seem to be an exaggeration to say that there’s not an individual on Earth who would need to be exposed to that hideous, gag-inducing smell of skunk spray.
It’s bad enough, it truly is, case closed. But except for the spray, can skunks hurt you? Are skunks really dangerous?
Skunks are usually not really dangerous to humans. Their nasty spray is bad enough and may cause severe irritation to the eyes and mucous membranes, but that is temporary. This Is it is feasible for a skunk to bite you if cornered or handled, but that is an especially rare occurrence.
Turns out the primary thing people worry about about skunks is essentially the one thing you might want to worry about. Skunks are definitely unique animals, and their approach to defense is just as unique.
Almost all a skunk will attempt to do in defense is spray, and you’ll need to work pretty hard to get one to bite you. Nevertheless, there’s a possibility.
Read on and below I’ll let you know more about skunks and their interactions with humans.
Skunk overview, temperament and habitat
Skunks are a surprisingly common animal in North America. While they have a tendency to be most lively through the hours of limited light, especially at dusk and dawn, some individual skunks are inclined to remain lively at night or in full daylight.
Most skunks are usually not gregarious and are inclined to live alone, unless the feminine is raising her children.
Skunks even have a territory, or home, where they sometimes stay for many of their lives. For males, this range is about 66 square miles, although larger ranges are usually not unusual.
Women are inclined to have smaller ranges than men. Skunks spend their time roaming around their homestead seeking food, often digging it up.
But in any area where skunks are common, it’s just as common to see them roaming around, including straight into traffic.
That’s because skunks have two things against them: First, they’ve terrible eyesight.
They have an incredible sense of smell and excellent hearing, but terrible eyesight, and are often completely oblivious to anything further than 15 feet or more.
Secondly, and of most concern to us, skunks move across the environment with little or no fear of predators, including humans.
That’s because skunks have Very several predators, which because of them will consistently attack secret weapon!
This means it isn’t unusual to identify a skunk at close range and even see a skunk heading straight home or towards pets.
Animals which might be often greater than willing to review the skunk within the wild – with disastrous results!
Do skunks protect their territory?
NO. Skunks rarely show any territorial instincts and are perfectly content to be left alone when another animal roams their territory.
A skunk’s territory or home is just an area where it’s comfortable and can inhabit most of its life.
Do skunks behave aggressively towards one another?
Sometimes. Skunks are often very solitary, although females will sometimes mate together through the cold winter.
Skunks may challenge or attempt to run away from intruders, but most of all, skunks never spray one another: the disgusting foul odor that’s their “ace up the sleeve” weapon is reserved just for predators and real threats.
Are skunks a threat to humans?
Yes! Skunks will threaten humans and frequently show an elaborate defensive display prior to spraying.
Skunks will growl, stomp, hiss, after which lift their tails in a daring, dramatic warning to any creature that is likely to be silly enough to benefit from their luck.
If you see a skunk act like this, it is time to get as far-off as possible, unless you are within the mood for a extremely rough week!
Have skunk attacks on humans been recorded?
So much! Dozens of persons are sprayed by skunks annually within the United States, and plenty of more have secondary contacts through their pets or pets that either get sprayed themselves or cause skunk spraying and are too near the event.
Skunk bites are usually not entirely unheard of, but extremely rare, except when the skunk is cornered or handled, or within the case of an indignant skunk.
What will cause a skunk to attack an individual?
Skunks generally don’t need to mess with anyone, and so they don’t need you to mess with them.
The only thing that is certain to trigger a skunk attack is you are too near a skunkAND surprising it especially.
That’s really all. Skunks which might be scared or feel threatened will adopt a stance to push you away, or will sometimes spray immediately and ask questions later.
But because skunks have such scary eyesight, for those who don’t move or make noise, they might not even know you are there.
There are loads of videos of skunks approaching people on trails after which moving around without spraying.
How strong is Skunk?
Skunks are usually not very strong within the grand scheme of the animal kingdom. They are strong enough to do a number of digging and roaming in every single place, and so they have quite powerful jaws with sharp teeth that may offer you a superb bite.
Can skunks bite?
Yes, they actually can! Skunks often don’t bite, preferring to spray after which run. But for those who put your hands on a skunk, corner it or trap it, likelihood is they may bite you.
What does a skunk attack appear to be?
The skunk’s “attack” is essentially a comedy of errors, unless the skunk is indignant. It often goes something like this: a skunk spots a threat or what it thinks is a threat after which starts an elaborate display of threat as described above, growling, hissing, stamping its feet, lifting its tail, etc.
If you do not back off immediately, the skunk will start sputtering. Sometimes the skunk is surprised and pulls the trigger somewhat quickly, aiming and spraying immediately.
Note that skunks are surprisingly accurate and might hit targets as much as 10 or 12 feet away!
After this, the skunk often runs away, even though it may hold its position depending on it being a nasty smell to scare off an attacker.
However, if a skunk is rabid, it might be mindlessly aggressive, charging and attempting to bite and scratch.
How do you react to a Skunk attack?
There is simply one solution to react to a skunk attack, and that’s to run away as quickly as possible and preferably without disturbing the skunk. The spraying is terrible, but you may get better eventually.
However, if a skunk charges at you and tries to bite or scratch you, you may have to assume that it’s enraged and will run away as soon as possible.
If you’ll be able to’t, shield yourself with any object you may have at hand and do every little thing in your power to avoid being bitten.
Is there anything that works for Skunk Stink?
Let’s get real for a moment. Chances are if you may have a foul interaction with a skunk it’s going to end in you being sprayed slightly than bitten.
When that happens, the following few days, perhaps even every week or two, will probably be a nightmare of horrific smells that may haunt you and your private home like a ghost.
I won’t go too far off topic, but mainly ignore all of the home remedies you have heard of, tomato juice, lemon juice, vinegar, and the like.
They don’t work on humans and so they don’t work on dogs. The best solution is a commercially produced skunk odor eliminator or a combination of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and dish soap.
A quart of hydrogen peroxide per cup of baking soda and a couple of teaspoons of dish soap will make a paste that’s surprisingly effective at eliminating skunk odor, even though it does require multiple applications. It works on dogs too!
Will a skunk eat a human?!
NO. Skunks are omnivorous and eat animal protein. A skunk is not going to attack you with the intention of eating you, even though it is feasible that it might take a couple of bites from a dead human body.
Can humans get diseases from skunks?
Yes. Most importantly, skunks can transmit rabies, although they are usually not prolific carriers of rabies.
However, in a couple of specific regions, skunks are literally probably the most common rabid animals found, so keep that in mind.
Angry skunks are most typical in California and a couple of places within the Midwest.
Remember, for those who come into contact with a skunk that you think that is rabid, you have to be cured before the virus really takes hold.
Seek medical advice immediately for those who are bitten by a skunk. Rabies is treatable if detected early, but fatal and invariably fatal in later stages.
