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Skunks During Winter

During the winter months, a skunk enters into a light hibernation known as torpor. In torpor, the skunk's body temperature and heart rate lowers. Its metabolism and oxygen consumption also slow. During the winter's coldest months, the skunk enters torpor to survive the cold conditions until spring. The skunk can wake up from torpor and may even venture out on warm winter days. It will often reside in and out of torpor for around 100 days before spring arrives.

Dens
- A skunk will dig an underground burrow or take an abandoned den. The animal will also seek shelter from the approaching winter under decks, in hollowed-out logs or rock piles. The skunk will line the den with leaves and other debris to create a cozy nest. The skunk will use some of the leaves to plug up the hole to the den. Plugging up the hole helps to insulate the den and keep the skunk warmer during the cold days of winter.
Body Fat
- Male skunks spend the winter alone or with a group of females. Females usually always hibernate together. A male skunk that spends the winter in a burrow with females will not enter a state of torpor. The male will spend the entire winter awake to provide protection to the females. He will snuggle with them to utilize their body heat which helps him survive the cold days. A skunk that spends the winter in a communal den will emerge with more body than skunks that spent the winter alone. The emerging communal skunks usually have a ratio of 25.5 percent and solitary skunks only have 9.3 percent body fat, according to Science Daily.
Reproduction
- Males who choose to spend the winter with a group of females also benefit reproductively, according to Science Daily. A male skunk that suffers from low-body fat can have poor sperm production. Females also benefit reproductively from higher spring body fat during pregnancy. In February and March, the skunks emerge from their winter burrows to breed. The females give birth to two to 10 babies in May or June. The baby skunks will remain with their mother until autumn and then will seek out their own winter burrows.
Torpor
- During torpor, the skunk's body temperature plummets to 79 degrees Fahrenheit, the lowest of any other animal that also undergoes torpor. When a skunk awakes from torpor during warm winter days, it will often venture out of its burrow to eat a few insects or a small rodent. Once the temperature becomes cold, the skunk will return to its burrow and resume its state of torpor. In mild areas that do not suffer from cold winters, the skunk will remain active all year.

Animals & Science