Oregon researcher sprayed roughly 100 times in quest to study tiny skunk

PORTLAND, Ore. ( KOIN ) — After suffering roughly 100 sprays during her 2.5 years studying the Western spotted skunk, an Oregon State University researcher recently published her findings, which provide valuable insight into the squirrel-sized small mammal, the university says.

Oregon State University graduate and postdoctoral researcher Marie Tosa’s study “ Western spotted skunk spatial ecology in the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest ” was completed by trapping and tracking the skunk species in Oregon’s Cascade Range. More than 100 baited cameras were used to observe the skunks. Tosa captured 31 skunks during the study, placing tracking collars on 25 of them.

“This inevitably led to being sprayed,” an OSU press release about the study states. “She estimates she was sprayed 50 to 100 times. She said the spray smells like really strong raw garlic.”

Tosa’s method for removing the smell was a paste of hydrogen peroxide, Dawn dish soap and baking soda, the university said.

Once the skunks were collared, Tosa used radio telemetry to locate and track the skunks’ movement. Through her research, Tosa found that the species can cover more ground than deer and is sensitive to climate change, especially severe winter weather.

The skunk species, which faces major threats from human-caused land-use change, prefers undisturbed habitat like mountains and lives in a wide range from New Mexico to British Columbia. Despite the skunk’s wide range, humans know very little about the nocturnal creature, OSU Associate Professor Taal Levi said.

“For such an abundant carnivore in these forests, we don’t really know anything about them,” Levia said. “This project was trying to figure out more about them: Trying to learn about their natural history; what they do in these forests; what do they need; how do they influence the ecosystem that they are in.”

Tosa, Levi and Damon Lesmeister of the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station in Corvallis studied the western spotted skunk partly to better understand what happened to the eastern spotted skunk. The Eastern spotted skunk, which lives in the central and southeastern U.S., saw a population decline of roughly 90% between 1940 and 1950. By 1980, the decline grew to 99%. The animal is considered a vulnerable species and considered for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

“Habitat loss is believed to be a factor in the population decline, but the reasons are not well understood because the species was not well studied prior to or during the decline,” Lesmeister said.

Tosa’s field research was completed prior to three wildfires, which burned the forested study area in recent years. Tosa speculates that the skunks are likely well adapted for surviving wildfires, but is interested in performing a post-fire study of the region.

OSU provided photos of the rarely seen skunk taken during the study. Tosa also gave her own unique description of the animal.

“The easiest way to describe them is a tube sock,” Tosa said. “They’re a black and white tube sock. They are mostly black but they have white spots all over them. They have this giant white spot on their forehead. And they’re really, really adorable.”

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