The听Eastern spotted鈥痵kunk鈥痝ets its name from the broken stripes along its back. Both the听Eastern and听Western spotted鈥痵kunk鈥痳anges overlap in Colorado.听Eastern听spotted鈥痵kunks are the only species of鈥痵kunk鈥痥nown to climb, inhabiting rocky, woody or tallgrass prairie habitats, while the western spotted鈥痵kunk鈥痯refers rocky canyons and brushlands. Like other听Mephitids, (the family of mammals including鈥痵kunks and stink badgers) spotted鈥痵kunks are nocturnal. While they are famous for the oily musk excreted when threatened, not every encounter with a鈥痵kunk鈥痳esults in getting sprayed. When startled, frightened or intimidated,鈥痵kunks will often give fair warning with an elaborate handstand stance before taking aim. This natural tear gas emerges from well-developed scent glands located on either side of their anus and can accurately mist predators 20 feet away!
Indoors, this drawer of spotted鈥痵kunk鈥痵tudy skins and skulls reside in听the听CU Museum鈥檚 Mammalogy collection and are used to show variation among individuals of the same species. Study skins are stuffed in a standard compact pose to create a common unit of comparison across museum collections. Quantifying subtle differences in body size, color, and patterning helps researchers to better define species boundaries. Describing species traits and the acceptable level of variation within each character was the primary method of classifying flora and fauna until the advent of molecular sequencing, and still plays a听very听large role in describing new species. Here, a cotton eye is visible in each study skin, as the鈥痵kunk鈥檚 carcass is removed and replaced with stuffing when prepared as a museum specimen. Each clear box holds the accompanying skull, another important element in diagnosing mammal species identifications.鈥�
Scientific Name: 厂辫颈濒辞驳补濒别听辫耻迟辞谤颈耻蝉
Date Collected: December 27, 1933
Locality: Texas, Cooke county, Marysville
Collector: D.A. Spencer听