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13 August 2021 Burrow Excavation by an Eastern Spotted Skunk and Visitation by a Long-Tailed Weasel
Gregory P. Detweiler, Stephen N. Harris, Colleen Olfenbuttel, David S. Jachowski
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Abstract

In this field note, we detail video evidence of Spilogale putorius (Eastern Spotted Skunk) further excavating a den site that was subsequently visited by Mustela frenata (Long-tailed Weasel). In October 2019 in Burke County, NC, we tracked a radio-collared Eastern Spotted Skunk to a small ground burrow. A camera trap was set outside the den entrance for 7 days. During this period, we observed that the burrow was occupied by 1 or more individual spotted skunks, and concurrently occupied by 2 spotted skunks on at least 1 occasion. The burrow was further excavated by 1 of the spotted skunks, representing the first recorded footage of this behavior in the Eastern Spotted Skunk. On 1 occasion, between visits to the den by the spotted skunks, a Long-tailed Weasel investigated the burrow. This observation represents one of the first close associations between these cryptic species.

Gregory P. Detweiler, Stephen N. Harris, Colleen Olfenbuttel, and David S. Jachowski "Burrow Excavation by an Eastern Spotted Skunk and Visitation by a Long-Tailed Weasel," Southeastern Naturalist 20(sp11), 234-240, (13 August 2021). https://doi.org/10.1656/058.020.0sp1120
Published: 13 August 2021
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