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2017 Northeastern Naturalist Notes Vol. 24, No. 1
E.D. Thorne and C. Waggy
First Reported Observation of Food Provisioning to Offspring by
an Eastern Spotted Skunk, a Small Carnivore
Emily D. Thorne1,* and Charles Waggy2
Abstract - While monitoring den activity using remote-sensing cameras in the central Appalachians
in West Virginia, we observed an adult female Spilogale putorius L. (Eastern Spotted Skunk) deliver a
live Plethodon glutinosus Green (Northern Slimy Salamander) to a juvenile skunk at a den. A possible
explanation for the observed behavior could be food provisioning by the adult to provide nutrition
and/or an opportunity to develop hunting and prey-handing skills. Food provisioning has rarely been
observed in small carnivores such as spotted skunks, but it undoubtedly is a critical aspect of parental
care for a range of taxa.
Spilogale putorius L. (Eastern Spotted Skunk) was once common throughout the central
and southern United States (Gompper and Hackett 2005). In the central and southern Appalachian
Mountains, this species has shown close ties to young forest habitats characterized
by thick understory of Rhododendron spp. (rhododendron) and Kalmia latifoila L. (Mountain
Laurel), emergent rocky outcroppings, and large downed woody debris (Diggins et al.
2015; Reed and Kennedy 2000; C. Stihler, West Virginia DNR, WV, pers. comm.). Parental
care is provided by the female until offspring reach adult size (300–700 g) at ~3–4 months
of age (Mead 1968). However, little is known about parental care of juvenile Eastern Spotted
Skunks because these behaviors are difficult to observe in these types of small, solitary
carnivores.
On 31 March 2015, we trapped and outfitted an adult female Eastern Spotted Skunk
with a 16-g ATS model 1740 radio transmitter (Advanced Telemetry Systems, Isanti, MN) .
From March 2015 to May 2016, we radio-tracked this individual 1–3 days per week across
Tract Mountain in the western portion of the Ridge and Valley subphysiographic province
of the central Appalachians in Pendleton County, WV. Forest habitat in this region consists
of mature mixed Quercus spp. (oak) and Pinus rigida Mill. (Pitch Pine) with a dense Mountain
Laurel understory throughout. When den sites were physically located, we mounted
Reconyx HyperFire HC500 infrared (Reconyx, Holeman, WI) remote-sensing cameras
~3–4 m from the den entrance to record times and frequency of entrance and exit of dens.
On 21 August 2015, we recorded a series of 8 photos depicting an adult female Eastern
Spotted Skunk delivering a Plethodon glutinosus Green (Northern Slimy Salamander)
to her offspring at her den site (Fig. 1). At 01:17:32, the female was seen at the entrance
of the den carrying a salamander in her mouth (Fig. 1A). Seven seconds after the female
appears, the juvenile was recorded emerging from the den entrance where the female had
dropped the salamander (Fig. 1B). At 01:17:42, the adult female was no longer visible
and the juvenile was photographed investigating the salamander (Fig.1C). Images from
1:17:53 to1:18:06 show the salamander moving away from the juvenile skunk, then the
juvenile pursuing the salamander, eventually capturing it, and returning to the den entrance
with the salamander in its mouth at 1:18:14 (Fig. 1D–H). This observation was our
first sighting of the juvenile, and we estimated the age of the juvenile to be 2–3 months at
the time of recording.
1*Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,
Blacksburg, VA 24061. 2West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (retired), Franklin, WV 26807.
*Corresponding author - edthorne@vt.edu.
Manuscript Editor: Heather York
Notes of the Northeastern Naturalist, Issue 24/1, 2017
2017 Northeastern Naturalist Notes Vol. 24, No. 1
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E.D. Thorne and C. Waggy
Figure 1. [Caption on following page.]
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2017 Northeastern Naturalist Notes Vol. 24, No. 1
E.D. Thorne and C. Waggy
There are 2 possible explanations for the observed behavior. Food provisioning during
the weaning process may provide supplemental nutrition to growing offspring during the
period when they learn to forage successfully, and such food transfer may inform offspring
of adult dietary preferences while gaining food-handling skills (Brown et al. 2004). While
this form of parental care is common among carnivores (Gittleman 1989), it has been rarely
observed and greatly understudied in small, cryptic, or secretive species. This observation
is significant and unique because it is the first reported observation of food provisioning
to offspring by an Eastern Spotted Skunk. Additionally, research on food provisioning in
carnivores has focused on social or monogamous species such as Crocuta crocuta Erxleben
(Spotted Hyena; Holekamp and Smale 2010) and Vulpes velox Say (Swift Fox; Poessel and
Gese 2013), making this a rare observation for small and solitary carnivores in general.
Furthermore, this is the first record of salamanders included in the Eastern Spotted Skunk
diet. Although the diet of Spilogale gracilis Merriam (Western Spotted Skunk) consists
of insects, salamanders, lizards/lizard eggs, birds/bird eggs, and mice (Jones et al .2008),
Eastern Spotted Skunks have been recorded to feed predominantly on insects or rodents and
infrequently on birds/bird eggs and vegetation (Crabb 1941).
It is unclear whether salamanders are typical prey items or if adult female Eastern Spotted
Skunks seek out prey that are larger and slower-moving than their own usual dietary
items to feed to offspring, a behavior observed in Otocyon megalotis Desmarest (Kalahari
Bat-eared Foxes). Adult foxes provision offspring with lizards, although the adults feed
primarily on insects (Nel 1978, Pauw 2016). Nel (1978) reported that to make the effort of
bringing food back to the offspring at the den worthwhile, adults switched to hunting larger
prey items. Future observations of Eastern Spotted Skunk parental behavior may provide
much needed insight into the ecology of this understudied species.
Acknowledgments. Funding for this research was provided by Virginia Department of
Game and Inland Fisheries Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Grant
2013-14307 and the US Geological Survey, Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research
Unit and M.L. Fies (VDGIF Furbearer Project Leader). W.M. Ford provided helpful
comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript. Field assistance was provided by West
Virginia Division of Natural Resources and the USDA Forest Service. This research was
approved by the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Institutional Animal
Care and Use Committee (protocol number 13-119-FIW).
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Figure 1 [preceeding page]. Images captured on 21 August 2015 on Tract Mountain in the western
portion of the Ridge and Valley physiographic province in Pendleton County, WV, using a Reconyx
HyperFire HC 500 remote-sensing infrared camera. Images depict an incident of food provisioning to
juvenile offspring in the following sequence: (A) Adult female (radio collar visible) Spilogale putorius
(Eastern Spotted Skunk) delivers a Plethodon glutinosus (Northern Slimy Salamander) to den entrance,
(B) juvenile (2–3 months old) Eastern Spotted Skunk emerges from den, (C) juvenile skunk investigates
salamander, (D) salamander moves away from juvenile skunk, (E–G) juvenile skunk pursues and captures
salamander, and (H) juvenile returns to den carrying salamander in its mouth.
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