Spotted skunks are the handstand champions of the skunk world. Now, there may be more species of them than scientists previously recognized. Spotted skunks live across North and Central America, and until recently scientists had described four different species of them.
New research on the genetics of spotted skunk species shows that there are more genetic differences between populations than previously thought. There may actually be seven species of spotted skunks instead of just four.
To get lots of samples of spotted skunks from across their range, the research team used DNA from museum specimens and from wild skunks.
One of the types of spotted skunks, the Plains skunk (from the Great Plains region of North America), might be endangered. Listing it as a separate species could help efforts to protect it.
Now that the scientists see genetic differences between the skunk populations, they want to study the different populations. They are curious to see if they are eating different things or if they behave differently in other ways.
