Striped Skunk
Mephitis mephitis (Schreber, 1776)
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Order | Carnivora |
| Family | Mephitidae |
| Genus | Mephitis |
| Species | Mephitis mephitis (Schreber, 1776) |
Description
Diagnostic characters
- Ecological class
- Trogloxene
- Realm
- Terrestrial
Distribution
Range
Known from five counties across three states.
Continent
North America
Country
United States
States and provinces
Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma
Counties
- Arkansas
- Fulton, Searcy
- Kentucky
- Fayette, Pulaski
- Oklahoma
- Delaware
Conservation and management
IUCN Red List
LC Least Concern
Assessed in 2016.
NatureServe
G5 Secure
National ranks
- Canada
- N5 Secure
- United States
- N5 Secure
Subnational ranks
- New Brunswick
- S5 Secure
- Nova Scotia
- S5 Secure
- Saskatchewan
- S5 Secure
- Prince Edward Island
- SNA Not Applicable
- Ontario
- S5 Secure
- Quebec
- S5 Secure
- Northwest Territories
- SU Unrankable
- Manitoba
- S5 Secure
- Alberta
- S5 Secure
- British Columbia
- S5 Secure
- Iowa
- S5 Secure
- New Mexico
- S5 Secure
- North Carolina
- S4 Apparently Secure
- Ohio
- SNR Unranked
- Colorado
- S5 Secure
- Indiana
- S5 Secure
- Virginia
- S5 Secure
- ME
- S5 Secure
- Montana
- S5 Secure
- Mississippi
- S5 Secure
- Alabama
- S4 Apparently Secure
- RI
- S5 Secure
- Tennessee
- S5 Secure
- Georgia
- S5 Secure
- Utah
- S5 Secure
- California
- SNR Unranked
- Arkansas
- S5 Secure
- Kentucky
- S5 Secure
- Minnesota
- SNR Unranked
- Florida
- SNR Unranked
- Michigan
- S5 Secure
- ND
- S5 Secure
- Idaho
- S5 Secure
- South Carolina
- S5 Secure
- NE
- S5 Secure
- NH
- S5 Secure
- Louisiana
- S4 Apparently Secure
- New York
- S5 Secure
- Pennsylvania
- S5 Secure
- Wisconsin
- S5 Secure
- Wyoming
- S5 Secure
- Nevada
- S5 Secure
- Oregon
- S5 Secure
- Maryland
- S5 Secure
- Kansas
- S5 Secure
- DE
- S5 Secure
- West Virginia
- S5 Secure
- Texas
- S5 Secure
- Washington
- S5 Secure
- Oklahoma
- SNR Unranked
- South Dakota
- S5 Secure
- Massachusetts
- S5 Secure
- Missouri
- S5 Secure
- District of Columbia
- S4 Apparently Secure
- Illinois
- S5 Secure
- Vermont
- S5 Secure
- Arizona
- S5 Secure
- NJ
- S5 Secure
- NN
- S5 Secure
- Connecticut
- S5 Secure
State and federal status
Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act
References
- Dunivan, J.D., Tumlison, C.R. & McDaniel, V.R. 1982. Cave fauna of Arkansas: further records. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 36: 87–88. https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol36/iss1/28.
- Fenolio, D.B., Slay, M.E. & Niemiller, M.L. 2023. Biological inventories of caves in the Ozarks of northeastern Oklahoma: December 2023 field report. Report to Oklahoma Biological Survey. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas, USA. 24 pp.
- Lewis, J.J. 2004. Interstate 66 karst faunal study. Environmental Impact Statement. 17 pp.
- McDaniel, V.R. & Gardner, J.E. 1977. Cave fauna of Arkansas: vertebrate taxa. Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science 31: 68–71. https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jaas/vol31/iss1/22.
How to cite this account
Mephitis mephitis (Schreber, 1776). Cave Biology Data Portal, account SP-2631. https://cavebiology.org/species/mephitis-mephitis/ (accessed 6 September 2026).
Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.
Spotted something wrong on this page? Report a correction. Accounts are compiled from many sources and corrections from people who know the group are the most useful email we get.