Every single night I feed about 8 wild skunks that live in my neighborhood, and have for years. They come just when it gets dark and gather under my sons car and wait for me to raise the garage door, and out they come. I usually feed them cut up hot dogs or whatever we had for dinner, plus sunflower seed kernels, mixed nuts and popcorn for dessert. I've been doing this for many years and have gotten to know them all and even named them. They are the sweetest animals and have never been sprayed. Most of the time they will gather at my feet and some will take the food from my hands. It kills me when people treat them cruelly by poisoning them or trapping them or even just shooting them all for just passing thru their yards. Thankfully my house is butted up to the woods so they don't have to go into any of my neighbors yards to get to my house. So people out there please remember, skunks were here long before our houses were and we are the ones who've moved into their territory. We can all live together in peace...but that is up to us. GOD BLESS ALL OF OUR WILDLIFE
I have found that folks who don't tolerate skunks are ignorant inhuman trolls, and man, do we have a lot of those guys around here. What a sad commentary on the American population.
It is unfortunate that skunks are hated and feared by so many. They only want to live their life in peace and will only spray when they legitimately feel threatened.
I AGREE W/ THE ABOVE. PEOPLE WHO WOULD HARM ANIMALS SHOULD BE CALLED ON THE CARPET FOR THEIR CRUEL BEHAVIOR.. THERE IS NO ROOM ON THIS PLANET FOR HUNTERS/ANIMAL ABUSERS.. NO TOLERANCE FOR NON HUMANS SUCH AS THEY. i FEED ALL KINDS OF STRAYS, BUT I HAVE YET TO ENCOUNTER A SKUNK. SKUNKS ARE RARE. YOUR ONE LUCKY LADY THAT CAN COMMUNE W/ THOSE CUTIES. SKUNKS ARE BEAUTIFUL.
Having grown up on a farm with dogs that never quite learned to leave the skunks alone, I can personally testify to the accuracy of this video's title, "Skunk Spray Stinks!" And, in case anyone is wondering, tomato juice is completely ineffective...at least on dogs. De-scented skunks can actually be pretty cool pets (where legal of course). I've never had one personally (never had the desire to keep a wild animal as a pet), but a friend had two of them that she rescued as babies after their mother was killed on the road. They always reminded me of cats more than anything else, although I would think that a "Beware of Skunk" sign would be far more effective for home security than a sign reading "Beware of Cat"! ;-)
De-scented skunks? You mean like declawed cats, animals that were rendered utterly defenseless so they could be squeezed, pulled on and used as playthings all day long by snotty brats and selfish adults? How wonderful.
@@justacatwhocantype No, I mean housepets. Housepets don't need to defend themselves. They're in the house where it's safe and where nothing is going to try to eat them. She rescued those two when they were only a couple of weeks old, and you can't return hand-raised animals that have learned to see humans as a source of food & comfort to the wild because they won't know how to survive out there. Also, those two became very attached to her, and to this day they are very happy with their living arrangments. (Free food, a warm bed, complete safety, and lots of treats & cuddles, what's not to like?) On top of that, there are very few people who would be willing to tolerate a skunk spraying in the house.
@@futuresonex Years of working in cat rescue have tought me something, this being that any housepet can end up in a situation where they do need to be able to fend for themselves. One moment of carelessness, such as forgetting to properly close a door or window, can be enough. Even the most well-meaning pet owner can make an error or forget something, and a housepet can suddenly end up otuside, lost and having to defend itself. And that's only the one part. The other part is that people who do not intend to make their pets feel uncomfortable or threatened, who fully respect their pet's boundaries, do not need to strip them of their weapons. It's not like a skunk just feels like spraying someone and goes ahead and does it. It's not some compulsive behavior that will just happen. While I admit that my comparing the de-scenting to declawing was over the top, as stinkglands, unlike claws, are not a needed to perform regular daily tasks, I still find it really questionable why someone would choose to de-scent a skunk whom they have raised by hand. Why would this skunk suddenly choose to attack? It has no more reason to attack it's owner than, for instance, a dog would, but even the largest of dogs get to keep their teeth, inspite of their attack not only being highly unpleasant but potentially fatal. I simply do not find it to be an ethical choice to remove an animal's defense mechanism, when one could just as well choose to handle the animal in a way that does not give it a reason to want to defend itself in the first place.
i dont really like having pets. I feel like it is a form of Slavery. I prefer to have animals such as lizards in my home because they are there because they want to be. They are happy living in my house and eating bugs. if they do not want to be there they will go elsewhere.
Like you, my brother had a pet skunk. It was purchased at a pet store and was many generations breed in captivity, "domesticated", and descent-ed. I use quotes because that darned skunk "Nappy", for Napoleon the cartoon character "Peppy-Le-Pew", would start to get all active, because they're nocturnal, just about the time we would go to sleep. He would investigate every nook and cranny in the whole house. We awoke one morning to find he had gotten into the kitchen cupboards, tore all the labels off of the canned goods, opened a bottle of pancake syrup, a 5 pound sack of flour and tore through the plastic wrap my mom had covering a GALLON of home dried parsley flakes (She cooked a lot). He rolled all the canned goods through this knowing there's food in there somewhere. What a mess! For weeks we didn't know if we were having baked beans, corn or? as a side dish! You had to forgive him though, it was just his nature. He was just so darned cute and loved to cuddle with you. When you slept in the chair or on the couch, he would push his head into the crook of your neck and shoulder real gently and fall asleep on you. I never figured a skunk to be an affectionate creature, who knew! He lived about ten or twelve years, I miss him.
I have this nifty little mutation, so the smell of skunk (and other animals with similar musks/sprays) is pleasant to me rather than gross. My father and my brother are the same :)
My dad has said that the smell doesn't bother him, it just smells like a strong-smelling herb or spice. I wonder if that is related to what you described, because I always thought the same thing. Then again, children learn disgust from their parents, so having a father that doesn't mind the smell and a mom who can no longer smell might have contributed to me not thinking it was a "bad" odor.
***** I'm seeing all different descriptions on what people think it smells like. I don't get the burnt coffee or burnt rubber smell that people describe. For me its a mixture of marijuana smoke and rotten eggs. I really can't stand the smell of marijuana smoke because it just reminds me of skunk! haha. I never knew that some people found it pleasant!
That's exactly how it is for skunks, I don't specifically know if they lack the receptors for their own odour or if their brains are simply not programmed to associate the smell with bad things, but yeah.
I used to have 4 skunks as pets when I was a kid (7-9 years old) and they made wonderful pets. I also had a mother cat who had kittens and the skunk and the kittens would play together ALL the time. I just wish I had videos of them playing. It was great.
a big ass skunk sneaked inside my room in mexico once, i had left the door open to let the air in... at first I didn't know what it was because before that encounter, I had never seen one in person... I was falling in and out of sleep and under my bed there came a slight thump.. I dismissed the noise and blamed the bed's age, i thought it was about to break or something, it was a pretty weak bed... then I saw the tail first, it was huge... anyways, i told myself, "ah don't be scared, a little rodent is here, should be easy to scare off or fight off..." i thumped the mattress a few times and the creature took a few steps away from me with the tail as high as can be... (i still didn't know what I was dealing with so by this time I was gonna get my phone to light the room and take a clear look) the room was dark, it was around 4 AM... so by the time I had my phone in hand the creature had searched all four corners of the room and was to the right of my bed, the opposite corner of where the entrance was... I taped the phone screen a HUGE SKUNK standing there searching for food I guess.... (I had eaten eggs and beans for supper and had left the plate on a desk, the kitchen is far away across the patio, the patio is pretty big.... one of my friends told me skunks eat chicken's eggs while in the shell of course) anyways, my body freezes and all I can think is, this son of a bitch is gonna spray... I stay paralyzed, lying on my bed, heart rate probably in the 70s, and my fear pretty high... it's a weird fear because you know she can't injure you that badly but the spray bro... the spray... it eventually leaves (takes about thirty minutes circling the room, trying to find the cooked egg i think) but brothers and sisters, that was one hell of a scare
Loved this! I wonder if it's fair to pen skunks, maybe just the striped (northern?) with what I like to call- 'the Shakira Hips Don't Lie Manuever'..I am an animal control officer (and skunks and opossums are my favs!) annnd because of this I have been sprayed a lot..either directly or with secondary spray/dripping. The Hips Don't Lie thing has happened to me a few times- I've gotten sprayed in the face a few of those times- every time they spray me that accurately I notice they turn toward me then whip their entire hind end back effectively folding their body in half. haha..."let me see you move like you come from ColombiyaaaaaMY EYE!!!"
My cat and a skunk became pretty good friends. I would watch them hang out when I came home late and thought it was the cutest thing in the world. Unfortunately I have dogs aswell. It became a very sad very stinky night, Wich is why I'm now thinking about that really cute skunk and watching them on RUclips.
Thanks for all the good skunk info! I have about 5 that visit my backyard every night, and I have seen them stomping and charging each other. Glad to know more about their behavior
I absolutely love watching skunks! I have friends that live kinda in the "boons" and their place is surrounded by trees and brush and all that good stuff and if ur there at the right time u can always see skunks, every year for the last 6ish they're there :-)
ive been keeping up with all the videos, and though I have Always enjoyed them, you are truly growing as an entertainer with every video, and keeping it just as educational.
I just happen to have Dawn dish washing liquid, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda in my cupboards. I'm not looking for one, but if a skunk trundles by I will be ready.
My Opa (Grandpa) took care of a family of skunks for years. Same mother came back to my grandparents backyard, year after year, to have her babies and raise them. I think the skunk even trusted my Opa!
I think it's just simply the composition of mammal fur. You don't see the bright multi-colors that non-mammals without fur can achieve. Also, another thought, dogs and most predators are color blind especially red/green. So the answer like most times is probably just evolutionary adaptation.
Aposematism is the scientific word for "warning colors". The visual signals just have to be high contrast or bright colors to effectively warn away predators. Skunks use high contrast colors instead of bright colors. I'm interested in why mammals have more neutral colors where birds, reptiles, and invertebrates have so many fancy colors to mix and match. I'll look into it!
AnimalWonders Montana You are so amazing for actually replying to these further questions! Excited for your answers on the difference neutral fancy bright!
jjhoov88 Yeah, when you're small, like an insect, and preyed upon by things with good color eyesight (other insects, birds, etc...), then it is easier to see why colors would have evolved as the warning signs. Bigger animals have even bigger predators (unless you're talking about parasites or diseases which are always smaller, heheh), and since they have weaker eyesight (either color, depth, etc...), then strong contrast makes more sense.
I look forward to seeing many more informative clips on animals like this - a great idea guys! One thing I find distracting however, is Jessi's overuse of the phrase 'going to do' and similar when describing behaviours. Certainly interesting to learn about animals that I've never seen and only found overseas :)
I met a baby skunk on a walk, It was so chill! We were very close and it just stomped at us a little and ran around. We went our separate ways non the stinkier. What a cutie!
So I've thought about getting a pet skunk that's not descented. I know it could cause some inconveniences but it seems cruel to the animal to remove them - if it sprayed me I'd just have to suck it up and deal with it. But people tell me it's a bad idea? Sure I'd be a little stinky sometimes if I spooked the skunk, but meh.
This episode was freaking awesome!!! Thanks Jessi, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was so interesting to learn about skunks and I really like the chemistry in there too. Will never look at skunks in the same way! I love your enthusiasm by the way. :^D
Wow I just had to check out this "oldie"! It's 2019 and you have certainly grown more at ease and sophisticated in your presentations! By the way I sure am glad you aren't doing whatever that was at the end of the video!
I'm so scared of skunks lol. But seeing you holding that skunk though makes me less scared and find them quite interesting. Thank you for giving me the warning signs! I find skunks walking around my neighborhood during day time sometimes though. How come?
So glad you don’t surgically remove their glands. I strongly believe that when we take responsibility for animals we should adapt to their bodies and nit the other way around. Don’t get me started on declawing!
Skunks are very popular pets in England and they have large skunk shows. De-scenting is illegal in Britain, as it should be. "What fools these mortals be."
skunks are super cute. There was a weird one where I live when I was a kid. It's colors were reversed. It was white, with black stripes. We saw it walk around in the alleyway behind my parent's house!
My grandmother had one as a pet in the 70's and had the glands that have the spray removed. Are Lollipops' glands removed as well or is she just comfortable there and doesn't feel the need to spray?
when we lived in kent, OH at these particular apartments, we had a fairly domesticated skunk population that lived in the woods behind the apartment complex. there were a large number of black people that lived there & they were always throwing chicken bones on the ground and that was the attraction that brought the skunks from the woods into the complex itself. ---they'd come out at night time and hangout & search around for discarded food items. i noticed them in groups a lot, i dont know if they were families or what, but they were hanging around together in multiples. a lot of them were marked differently from each other, some were all black, some had that dual white stripping, some had one thick white streak, some only a think white stripe, i found it odd that they were patterned so differently from each other AND that they were so friendly. ---they werent scared of people at all, they wouldnt scamper away if you came around while they were eating or whatever.
Lollipop looks comfortable because she's very used to people handling her. She also is very familiar with me and how I handle her so we have a "trust bond" where we both know what to expect from the other. I don't like to say "these animals make good pets" because there are too many variables to make a general statement like that without knowing what kind of owner you are going to be. Skunks are illegal to own in most states in the US and I'm not sure about other countries. When I think of my criteria for what makes a good pet, I think that there needs to be a mutual benefit for the human and the animal involved. Sometimes, some skunks can live a happy life as a pet. If a skunk is going to be kept as a pet there should be a solid reason that a skunk is the appropriate choice for the household.
I've got a question for you and hopefully won't break my heart; I had a family of five skunks in my yard but lately I only see two of them. Do they eventually separate and find their own separate territories or perhaps the owls took them? ( I see them at night 😓). I feed them every night so they won't leave the yard but I do live in a very populated area in central San Diego! 😓. Thank u for your wonderful work!
I worked at a drug store a long time ago and a poor sprayed woman was going place to place in order to buy enough tomato juice to bathe in. I'm a little sad for her that she did all that work in vain. She wasn't able to get her dog away from the skunk and wasn't the one who got it in the face, but still had a horrific smell that she apologized profusely about. Poor lady.
I'm lucky that they do all that warning stuff. There's been times when I walked past skunks without seeing them and all they did was stump their feet. I would be so smelly right now.
A P.S. to my earler post. All 3 of my skunks were caught by my mother and she would bring them home after work and my job was to get them used to being handled and also to train them to walk on a leash. Which I did very well. All 3 of the skunks were house pets and only 1 of them were de-scented (by surgery - meaning they couldn't spray). I also had a mother cat (with 4-6 kittens) and they all got along very well. The kittens and the skunk would play together all the time. Except for the mother cat who knew WHAT she was and wanted nothing to do with her. But despite that, when the mother cat heard the can opener working, it was like, "I don't care WHO'S there I'm eating"...
My cat got sprayed by a skunk once. I guess he learned his lesson. He was only a few years old back then. He's now sixteen but hasn't been sprayed by a skunk since.
Funny story about a skunk. So, I've got a bunch of chickens, and a couple of them are roosters. I live in a suburban setting, and while we have the space for the birds, we still put the roosters away at night (in a modified and insulated doghouse) well, the hens also like to use the cockpit as a nesting area during the day. A few weeks ago I was putting the roosters away for the evening. I go to where we have the roosterhouse, and as I was about to bend down and put the roosters away for the night I saw the telltale tailwaggling of a skunk. Instead of freaking out, I completely opened up the lid of the box, and shined my light directly on the invading eggeater, and said, "shoo stinky, get outta here!" without so much as batting an eye, it climbed up and out. Since it didn't perceive me as a threat I avoided a facefull of stank.
Every single night I feed about 8 wild skunks that live in my neighborhood, and have for years. They come just when it gets dark and gather under my sons car and wait for me to raise the garage door, and out they come. I usually feed them cut up hot dogs or whatever we had for dinner, plus sunflower seed kernels, mixed nuts and popcorn for dessert. I've been doing this for many years and have gotten to know them all and even named them. They are the sweetest animals and have never been sprayed. Most of the time they will gather at my feet and some will take the food from my hands. It kills me when people treat them cruelly by poisoning them or trapping them or even just shooting them all for just passing thru their yards. Thankfully my house is butted up to the woods so they don't have to go into any of my neighbors yards to get to my house. So people out there please remember, skunks were here long before our houses were and we are the ones who've moved into their territory. We can all live together in peace...but that is up to us. GOD BLESS ALL OF OUR WILDLIFE
Nedyah74 I am so jealous! I want a pet skunk. My aunt had one when I was a kid, it was sweet. Unfortunately, the state I live in does not allow that.
I have found that folks who don't tolerate skunks are ignorant inhuman trolls, and man, do we have
a lot of those guys around here. What a sad commentary on the American population.
It is unfortunate that skunks are hated and feared by so many. They only want to live their life in peace and will only spray when they legitimately feel threatened.
Skunks are friendly, intelligent, and a lot of fun. I have never been sprayed.
I AGREE W/ THE ABOVE. PEOPLE WHO WOULD HARM ANIMALS SHOULD BE CALLED ON THE CARPET FOR THEIR CRUEL BEHAVIOR.. THERE IS NO ROOM ON THIS PLANET FOR HUNTERS/ANIMAL ABUSERS.. NO TOLERANCE FOR NON HUMANS SUCH AS THEY. i FEED ALL KINDS OF STRAYS, BUT I HAVE YET TO ENCOUNTER A SKUNK. SKUNKS ARE RARE. YOUR ONE LUCKY LADY THAT CAN COMMUNE W/ THOSE CUTIES. SKUNKS ARE BEAUTIFUL.
interesting fact about lollipop: she's also extremely cute.
Really love your enthusiasm. Only you can get people psyched about skunk spunk.
ISN'T THAT AWSOME?! Lol So much enthusiasm! 😂
Having grown up on a farm with dogs that never quite learned to leave the skunks alone, I can personally testify to the accuracy of this video's title, "Skunk Spray Stinks!" And, in case anyone is wondering, tomato juice is completely ineffective...at least on dogs.
De-scented skunks can actually be pretty cool pets (where legal of course). I've never had one personally (never had the desire to keep a wild animal as a pet), but a friend had two of them that she rescued as babies after their mother was killed on the road. They always reminded me of cats more than anything else, although I would think that a "Beware of Skunk" sign would be far more effective for home security than a sign reading "Beware of Cat"! ;-)
Gunslinger454 🤣🤣🤣
De-scented skunks? You mean like declawed cats, animals that were rendered utterly defenseless so they could be squeezed, pulled on and used as playthings all day long by snotty brats and selfish adults? How wonderful.
@@justacatwhocantype No, I mean housepets. Housepets don't need to defend themselves. They're in the house where it's safe and where nothing is going to try to eat them. She rescued those two when they were only a couple of weeks old, and you can't return hand-raised animals that have learned to see humans as a source of food & comfort to the wild because they won't know how to survive out there. Also, those two became very attached to her, and to this day they are very happy with their living arrangments. (Free food, a warm bed, complete safety, and lots of treats & cuddles, what's not to like?) On top of that, there are very few people who would be willing to tolerate a skunk spraying in the house.
@@futuresonex Years of working in cat rescue have tought me something, this being that any housepet can end up in a situation where they do need to be able to fend for themselves. One moment of carelessness, such as forgetting to properly close a door or window, can be enough. Even the most well-meaning pet owner can make an error or forget something, and a housepet can suddenly end up otuside, lost and having to defend itself. And that's only the one part. The other part is that people who do not intend to make their pets feel uncomfortable or threatened, who fully respect their pet's boundaries, do not need to strip them of their weapons. It's not like a skunk just feels like spraying someone and goes ahead and does it. It's not some compulsive behavior that will just happen. While I admit that my comparing the de-scenting to declawing was over the top, as stinkglands, unlike claws, are not a needed to perform regular daily tasks, I still find it really questionable why someone would choose to de-scent a skunk whom they have raised by hand. Why would this skunk suddenly choose to attack? It has no more reason to attack it's owner than, for instance, a dog would, but even the largest of dogs get to keep their teeth, inspite of their attack not only being highly unpleasant but potentially fatal. I simply do not find it to be an ethical choice to remove an animal's defense mechanism, when one could just as well choose to handle the animal in a way that does not give it a reason to want to defend itself in the first place.
i dont really like having pets. I feel like it is a form of Slavery. I prefer to have animals such as lizards in my home because they are there because they want to be. They are happy living in my house and eating bugs. if they do not want to be there they will go elsewhere.
Like you, my brother had a pet skunk. It was purchased at a pet store and was many generations breed in captivity, "domesticated", and descent-ed.
I use quotes because that darned skunk "Nappy", for Napoleon the cartoon character "Peppy-Le-Pew", would start to get all active, because they're nocturnal, just about the time we would go to sleep. He would investigate every nook and cranny in the whole house.
We awoke one morning to find he had gotten into the kitchen cupboards, tore all the labels off of the canned goods, opened a bottle of pancake syrup, a 5 pound sack of flour and tore through the plastic wrap my mom had covering a GALLON of home dried parsley flakes (She cooked a lot). He rolled all the canned goods through this knowing there's food in there somewhere. What a mess! For weeks we didn't know if we were having baked beans, corn or? as a side dish!
You had to forgive him though, it was just his nature. He was just so darned cute and loved to cuddle with you. When you slept in the chair or on the couch, he would push his head into the crook of your neck and shoulder real gently and fall asleep on you. I never figured a skunk to be an affectionate creature, who knew! He lived about ten or twelve years, I miss him.
I love that Lollipop snuggles with a purple teddy bear inside of a tiny tent! So cute!
Nature's fuzzy flashbangs.
I have this nifty little mutation, so the smell of skunk (and other animals with similar musks/sprays) is pleasant to me rather than gross. My father and my brother are the same :)
My dad has said that the smell doesn't bother him, it just smells like a strong-smelling herb or spice. I wonder if that is related to what you described, because I always thought the same thing. Then again, children learn disgust from their parents, so having a father that doesn't mind the smell and a mom who can no longer smell might have contributed to me not thinking it was a "bad" odor.
you probably lack a receptor for the compound ? ^^
***** I'm seeing all different descriptions on what people think it smells like. I don't get the burnt coffee or burnt rubber smell that people describe.
For me its a mixture of marijuana smoke and rotten eggs. I really can't stand the smell of marijuana smoke because it just reminds me of skunk! haha.
I never knew that some people found it pleasant!
That's exactly how it is for skunks, I don't specifically know if they lack the receptors for their own odour or if their brains are simply not programmed to associate the smell with bad things, but yeah.
I huff my own farts. I'm a superhero.
It's awesome to see Lollipop outside performing her natural behaviors. I bet she loves getting out and digging for bugs and worms.
I used to have 4 skunks as pets when I was a kid (7-9 years old) and they made wonderful pets. I also had a mother cat who had kittens and the skunk and the kittens would play together ALL the time. I just wish I had videos of them playing. It was great.
Joe Schutts I had one as a child, too. He was cooler than our dogs and cats. If I had the time and space, I’d have one right now.
Seeing her just brought back memories of how stupid my cat is because he's been sprayed by a skunk 3 times...
Similarly my poor "baby" Jack has been sprayed twice... Thankfully a simple home remedy worked (the internet was correct haha).
a big ass skunk sneaked inside my room in mexico once, i had left the door open to let the air in... at first I didn't know what it was because before that encounter, I had never seen one in person... I was falling in and out of sleep and under my bed there came a slight thump.. I dismissed the noise and blamed the bed's age, i thought it was about to break or something, it was a pretty weak bed... then I saw the tail first, it was huge... anyways, i told myself, "ah don't be scared, a little rodent is here, should be easy to scare off or fight off..." i thumped the mattress a few times and the creature took a few steps away from me with the tail as high as can be... (i still didn't know what I was dealing with so by this time I was gonna get my phone to light the room and take a clear look) the room was dark, it was around 4 AM... so by the time I had my phone in hand the creature had searched all four corners of the room and was to the right of my bed, the opposite corner of where the entrance was... I taped the phone screen a HUGE SKUNK standing there searching for food I guess.... (I had eaten eggs and beans for supper and had left the plate on a desk, the kitchen is far away across the patio, the patio is pretty big.... one of my friends told me skunks eat chicken's eggs while in the shell of course) anyways, my body freezes and all I can think is, this son of a bitch is gonna spray... I stay paralyzed, lying on my bed, heart rate probably in the 70s, and my fear pretty high... it's a weird fear because you know she can't injure you that badly but the spray bro... the spray... it eventually leaves (takes about thirty minutes circling the room, trying to find the cooked egg i think) but brothers and sisters, that was one hell of a scare
The way you said "She's going to turn and aim..." had me falling out of my seat!
I love when you show your knowledge of chemistry!
My dog got sprayed 2 months ago... She still has a bit of a skunky smell. Especially when it's humid out! 😂😂😂
You're presentation is AWESOME! Thank you.
My first thought was "She's adorable!" I have failed evolution.
I love them! Seeing them ambling around outside makes me so happy.
love jessi :) but i freaking jumped at 6:15
My first reaction was, "HI LOLLIPOP YOU LOOK ADORABLE."
I may not have great self-preservation instincts when it comes to fluffy things >.>
I've been sprayed by a skunk....yeah, stink doesn't do it justice.
Love that you talked about skunks!
Loved this! I wonder if it's fair to pen skunks, maybe just the striped (northern?) with what I like to call- 'the Shakira Hips Don't Lie Manuever'..I am an animal control officer (and skunks and opossums are my favs!) annnd because of this I have been sprayed a lot..either directly or with secondary spray/dripping. The Hips Don't Lie thing has happened to me a few times- I've gotten sprayed in the face a few of those times- every time they spray me that accurately I notice they turn toward me then whip their entire hind end back effectively folding their body in half. haha..."let me see you move like you come from ColombiyaaaaaMY EYE!!!"
I laughed way harder than I should have at the "Yo mama" jokes...XD
Now I understand why you and Gus are such healthy people. Lollypop provides a balance to your sweetness.
Lollipop is awesome. Even though they're not in the same family anymore, she still reminds me of my ferret, Ranger.
burns blinding and vomiting ISINT THAT AWESOME just the enthusiasm was great
I love how excited you sound!
Makes it all twice as interesting :)
I love your enthusiasm and energy when talking about these awesome animals! Very engaging! Keep these videos up! :)
My cat and a skunk became pretty good friends. I would watch them hang out when I came home late and thought it was the cutest thing in the world. Unfortunately I have dogs aswell. It became a very sad very stinky night, Wich is why I'm now thinking about that really cute skunk and watching them on RUclips.
this really helped me with my science report. thank you!
Thanks for all the good skunk info! I have about 5 that visit my backyard every night, and I have seen them stomping and charging each other. Glad to know more about their behavior
That *is* awesome and your passion for these animals really shines through. I really love you guys.
I absolutely love watching skunks! I have friends that live kinda in the "boons" and their place is surrounded by trees and brush and all that good stuff and if ur there at the right time u can always see skunks, every year for the last 6ish they're there :-)
Awesome video! 😃 Skunks have been my favorite animals since 4th grade! I love them! 🌹🐾
ive been keeping up with all the videos, and though I have Always enjoyed them, you are truly growing as an entertainer with every video, and keeping it just as educational.
Wow! My dog got sprayed recently and it is so cool to understand the process the skunk went through!
Best episode yet! More like these please.
"will make you smell less like skunk, and more like human"
haha I like this woman
love to learn about animals with animal wonders
I just happen to have Dawn dish washing liquid, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda in my cupboards. I'm not looking for one, but if a skunk trundles by I will be ready.
My first reaction to the video wasn't to back away, because I've already seen Lollipop ;) On SciShow Talk Show.
Love this episode!
My Opa (Grandpa) took care of a family of skunks for years. Same mother came back to my grandparents backyard, year after year, to have her babies and raise them. I think the skunk even trusted my Opa!
why do skunks have white stripes as a warning color but insecs have so bright colors to warn predators?
***** that makes a lot of sense. Maybe we get another answer^^
I think it's just simply the composition of mammal fur. You don't see the bright multi-colors that non-mammals without fur can achieve. Also, another thought, dogs and most predators are color blind especially red/green. So the answer like most times is probably just evolutionary adaptation.
Aposematism is the scientific word for "warning colors". The visual signals just have to be high contrast or bright colors to effectively warn away predators. Skunks use high contrast colors instead of bright colors. I'm interested in why mammals have more neutral colors where birds, reptiles, and invertebrates have so many fancy colors to mix and match. I'll look into it!
AnimalWonders Montana You are so amazing for actually replying to these further questions! Excited for your answers on the difference neutral fancy bright!
jjhoov88
Yeah, when you're small, like an insect, and preyed upon by things with good color eyesight (other insects, birds, etc...), then it is easier to see why colors would have evolved as the warning signs. Bigger animals have even bigger predators (unless you're talking about parasites or diseases which are always smaller, heheh), and since they have weaker eyesight (either color, depth, etc...), then strong contrast makes more sense.
I look forward to seeing many more informative clips on animals like this - a great idea guys!
One thing I find distracting however, is Jessi's overuse of the phrase 'going to do' and similar when describing behaviours.
Certainly interesting to learn about animals that I've never seen and only found overseas :)
I learned that skunks = bad smell from passing roadkill.
I love how much I learn watching your videos, thank you!!!!
I met a baby skunk on a walk, It was so chill! We were very close and it just stomped at us a little and ran around. We went our separate ways non the stinkier. What a cutie!
So I've thought about getting a pet skunk that's not descented. I know it could cause some inconveniences but it seems cruel to the animal to remove them - if it sprayed me I'd just have to suck it up and deal with it. But people tell me it's a bad idea? Sure I'd be a little stinky sometimes if I spooked the skunk, but meh.
You cant just have a wild animal as a pet.......
This was very interesting, I knew some of this, but not all. So it was quite enlightening.
B4 da video starts I just wanna say"I luvvve da babey skunk"!his nose his really cute.aww poor man..
This episode was freaking awesome!!! Thanks Jessi, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was so interesting to learn about skunks and I really like the chemistry in there too. Will never look at skunks in the same way! I love your enthusiasm by the way. :^D
Great video! lots of interesting information, presented in an engaging manner. Keep them coming!
What are the 2 most commonly used letters in the skunk alphabet?
P.U. 😂
There should be a post-outro clip like this one every time
Wow I just had to check out this "oldie"! It's 2019 and you have certainly grown more at ease and sophisticated in your presentations! By the way I sure am glad you aren't doing whatever that was at the end of the video!
So cute... love skunks😍
these are the detail informations i was hoping to see here. Do more of these of other of other animals you have there.
We don't really have skunks in Germany, so I have never smelled one and can just enjoy their extreme cuteness :3
Lucky
I want a pet spotted skunk so bad! I've heard they make pretty good pets and are easily trained due to their high intelligence.
i had a skunk wandering around my front yard when a pair of coyotes appeared. poor skunk didn't have a chance.
I'm so scared of skunks lol. But seeing you holding that skunk though makes me less scared and find them quite interesting. Thank you for giving me the warning signs! I find skunks walking around my neighborhood during day time sometimes though. How come?
My mother liked skunk smell (in small doses/from a distance) because it reminded her of being in the woods in summer.
I've only ever seen skunks on tv and in pictures. I had absolutely no reaction to lollipop.
So glad you don’t surgically remove their glands. I strongly believe that when we take responsibility for animals we should adapt to their bodies and nit the other way around. Don’t get me started on declawing!
Does Lollipop still have her glands?
no
Skunks are very popular pets in England and they have large skunk shows.
De-scenting is illegal in Britain, as it should be. "What fools these mortals be."
yes
@@hipocampelofantocame these English at least
Someone please give this woman a TV show on Animal Planet.
Lol I think the Turtleman took a bath in tomato juice after being sprayed
Mythbusters did that, too, years ago. I don't remember the result.
skunks are super cute. There was a weird one where I live when I was a kid. It's colors were reversed. It was white, with black stripes. We saw it walk around in the alleyway behind my parent's house!
Really cool video as always. I have one small complaint tho, the sound quality is very irregular on your videos. The mic seems to saturate a lot.
My grandmother had one as a pet in the 70's and had the glands that have the spray removed. Are Lollipops' glands removed as well or is she just comfortable there and doesn't feel the need to spray?
I must be strange or something. I like the smell. I haven't been sprayed with it but I've smelled it while driving loads of times.
We have skunks in our backyard, & one morning, one of them was eating in the yard & chased off two stray cats.
Nice video, very informative.
Skunks are my favorite animal!!! The most badass defense mechanism in nature in my opinion
when we lived in kent, OH at these particular apartments, we had a fairly domesticated skunk population that lived in the woods behind the apartment complex. there were a large number of black people that lived there & they were always throwing chicken bones on the ground and that was the attraction that brought the skunks from the woods into the complex itself.
---they'd come out at night time and hangout & search around for discarded food items.
i noticed them in groups a lot, i dont know if they were families or what, but they were hanging around together in multiples.
a lot of them were marked differently from each other, some were all black, some had that dual white stripping, some had one thick white streak, some only a think white stripe, i found it odd that they were patterned so differently from each other AND that they were so friendly. ---they werent scared of people at all, they wouldnt scamper away if you came around while they were eating or whatever.
My first reaction when I see a skunk. look at that cutie and the smell is not that bad when it's not on me.
Great explanation! All skunks should be proud.
Striped Skunk, Spotted Skunk, Hooded Skunk, Stinkbadger. Also known as Combo-ius Breaker-odon.
Also, how awesome is this? They defend themselves wit ha dance-off. :D
1234kalmar
Sounds like Guardians of the Galaxy. :)
+1234kalmar you forgot one of the skunks. You forgot the hog-nosed skunk
Fun fact...great horned owls can't smell, so they are completely immune to the skunk's defense.
So, do skunks make good pets? Because Lolipop seems very comfortable being around people. And she's freaking adorable. She's even leash trained.
Lollipop looks comfortable because she's very used to people handling her. She also is very familiar with me and how I handle her so we have a "trust bond" where we both know what to expect from the other. I don't like to say "these animals make good pets" because there are too many variables to make a general statement like that without knowing what kind of owner you are going to be. Skunks are illegal to own in most states in the US and I'm not sure about other countries. When I think of my criteria for what makes a good pet, I think that there needs to be a mutual benefit for the human and the animal involved. Sometimes, some skunks can live a happy life as a pet. If a skunk is going to be kept as a pet there should be a solid reason that a skunk is the appropriate choice for the household.
+AnimalWonders Montana are skunks comfortable
I've been full on sprayed by a Skunk and it didn't bother me at all.
I like this host. She knows her animals.
You are a plethora of information about El Skunk-O.
Thanks.
I've got a question for you and hopefully won't break my heart; I had a family of five skunks in my yard but lately I only see two of them. Do they eventually separate and find their own separate territories or perhaps the owls took them? ( I see them at night 😓). I feed them every night so they won't leave the yard but I do live in a very populated area in central San Diego! 😓. Thank u for your wonderful work!
I worked at a drug store a long time ago and a poor sprayed woman was going place to place in order to buy enough tomato juice to bathe in. I'm a little sad for her that she did all that work in vain. She wasn't able to get her dog away from the skunk and wasn't the one who got it in the face, but still had a horrific smell that she apologized profusely about. Poor lady.
No need to be sad about someone's ignorance. If she had done proper research, she wouldn't have wasted her time and money. Completely her fault.
I'm lucky that they do all that warning stuff. There's been times when I walked past skunks without seeing them and all they did was stump their feet. I would be so smelly right now.
I absolutely love skunks! Their my favourite animal!!
Is she de-scented or did you give her a bath? How do you tolerate the smell?
Can you bathe skunks?
BY THE WAY, LOLLIPOP IS BEAUTIFUL. CUTE & BREATTAKINGLY GORGEOUS. i DIDN'T KNOW THEY HAVE POOR EYE SIGHT, HOW UNFORTUNATE IS THAT.
Mythbusters tried the tomato-juice thing. Also the mixture you advocated...
Are the skunks', especially the spotted skunks', behaviors more learned or instinctual?
A P.S. to my earler post.
All 3 of my skunks were caught by my mother and she would bring them home after work and my job was to get them used to being handled and also to train them to walk on a leash. Which I did very well. All 3 of the skunks were house pets and only 1 of them were de-scented (by surgery - meaning they couldn't spray). I also had a mother cat (with 4-6 kittens) and they all got along very well. The kittens and the skunk would play together all the time. Except for the mother cat who knew WHAT she was and wanted nothing to do with her. But despite that, when the mother cat heard the can opener working, it was like, "I don't care WHO'S there I'm eating"...
My cat got sprayed by a skunk once. I guess he learned his lesson. He was only a few years old back then. He's now sixteen but hasn't been sprayed by a skunk since.
I was curious as to why it seems that baby skunks often seem so friendly and unafraid of humans when encountered in the wild.
My guess is they haven't learned to fear us yet.
Funny story about a skunk. So, I've got a bunch of chickens, and a couple of them are roosters. I live in a suburban setting, and while we have the space for the birds, we still put the roosters away at night (in a modified and insulated doghouse) well, the hens also like to use the cockpit as a nesting area during the day. A few weeks ago I was putting the roosters away for the evening. I go to where we have the roosterhouse, and as I was about to bend down and put the roosters away for the night I saw the telltale tailwaggling of a skunk. Instead of freaking out, I completely opened up the lid of the box, and shined my light directly on the invading eggeater, and said, "shoo stinky, get outta here!" without so much as batting an eye, it climbed up and out. Since it didn't perceive me as a threat I avoided a facefull of stank.
The Mythbusters actually tested various methods for getting rid of the odor
I have a skunk named piper they make great pets
U legit remind me of that girl from the rio movie and I watch ur bird videos but never realized it