Age-Related Reproduction in Striped Skunks
(Mephitis mephitis) in the Upper Midwest
Introduction
Age-related reproductive data from the upper Midwest are meager for the striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis), a carnivore common in most of North America (Rosatte, 1987). Reproductive data may be acquired from carcasses obtained from furtakers or fur buyers (Allen, 1983), but data so acquired can be biased (Sanderson, 1987). Carcasses of skunks often are discarded by furtakers, especially when prices are low (Hamilton and Fox, 1987). In this paper we provide information on pregnancy rates and litter sizes of known-age, female striped skunks that we obtained during several studies (Greenwood, 1986; Greenwood et al., 1985; Sargeant et al., 1982).
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