Conepatus chinga
Hog Nosed Skunk
Description
The hog nosed skunk (Conepatus chinga) has a black to dark brown body with
varying white parts. White stripes extending along the entire body or a few white hairs
on the head, are evident characteristics of this species of skunk (Colman et al. 2002).
Head and body length is 300-490 mm, the tail is 160-410 mm and the weight ranges
between 2.3-4.5 kg. The hog-nosed skunk has the coarsest fur of all skunks. The nose is
snout-like, broad, bare, and projecting. As in most skunks, this species also has an anal
scent gland. The female have three pairs of mammae (Gray 1837) and in Uruguay,
females are smaller than males (Colman et al 2002).
Individual variation in color is quite common within the family Mephitidae.
Although a color pattern has been used in the past as a taxonomic character to distinguish
between similar populations and taxa of hog-nosed skunks, a closer look at color-pattern
variations shows that the degree of variation associated with this species, is too large for
any meaningful use as a diagnostic character (Dragoo et al 1999).
Distribution
Conepatus chinga occurs from southern Bolivia through Uruguay, and central
Chile into Argentina, where it is found as far south as Neuquen province (Gray 1837). In
Paraguay, it is distributed in throughout the whole western region and in northern Dpto
(Colman et al 2002).
Morphologically, there isn’t a clear separation among named subspecies and
species of Conepatus in the United States and Mexico. However, South America taxa are
consistently different based on cranial measurements, overall color pattern and genetics.
Thus the three taxa species, Conepatus chinga, Conepatus semistriantus, and Conepatus
humnoldtii coming from South and Central America, should be recognized as a distinct
species; the striped hog-nosed skunk. Only one species of white-backed hog-nosed
skunks lives in North America (Dragoo et al 1999).
Ontogeny and Reproduction
Conepatus chinga species breeds once a year, but reproduction is usually not
consistent with any particular season; it depends on the reproductive status of each
individual. Most gestation periods last about two months, and between two and four kits
are born (Colman et al 2002).
Ecology and Behavior
Hog-nosed skunks can be found in various habitats from the Paraguayan Chaco to
the Patagonian steppe, up to 3,000-meter elevations (Colman et al 2002). This species
also tends to avoid dense forests, and stays within open and wooded areas. Dens are
located in hollow logs, rocky places, or in burrows previously made by other animals.
Like all skunks, Conepatus chinga are nocturnal and slow moving. Since Conepatus
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chinga usually don’t climb trees, anal scent glands play a role in defense, expelling a
strong musk toward predators up to 15 feet away. The strong musk can burn the eyes and
lead to momentary loss of vision (Gray, 1837). They are also resistant to pit viper
venom. The musk protects them from vipers that may be hunting them for food (Gray
1837).
Hog-nosed skunks rely on their well-developed forelimbs armed with long claws
and a muzzle to locate prey. Overall findings studied in Patagnonia, indicate that
Conepatus chinga species are generalist feeders with an omnivore/insectivore diet. They
are found to be opportunistic feeders, i.e., switching prey depending on prey availability.
Small invertebrates such as rodents and lizards are the most important prey. Large
numbers of beetles, along with their larvae (even in areas where abundance is not high)
are another part of this skunks diet. Hog-nosed skunks also feed upon other invertebrates
such as spiders and orthopterans. Overall, invertebrates and larvae make up 73.6-85.1%
of the diet. German yellow jacket wasps are also foraged under ground (Donadio et al
2002).
The current status of Conepatus chinga is declining throughout a major portion of
their historical range in the United States. In the Big Thicket region in eastern Texas, the
subspecies Conepatus telmalestes is believed to be extinct. A likely cause for the
population decline may be due to the increased number of trappers. Another reason
suggests the increase of feral hogs that have been introduced into the area. Feral hogs
have a diverse diet that depends on the season, but they compete with the hog-nosed
skunk as with other wildlife, for food when the same area is inhabited at the same time
(Dragoo et al 1999).
Literature Cited
Colman, F., Neris, N., Ouelar, E., Sukigara, N., Ishii, N. 2002. Quia de mammiferos
Medianos Y Grande Del Paraguay: Katos Data Book in Larger Mammals of Paraguay.
94-95.
Donadio, E., Di Martino, S., Aubone, M., Novaro, A. J. 2004. Feeding Ecology of the
Andean hog-nosed skunk (Conepatus chinga) in areas under different land use in northwestern Patagonia. Journal of Arid Environments. 56:710-717.
Dragoo, J., Honyecutt, R., Schmidly, D.2003. Taxanomic status of white-backed hognosed skunks (Conepatus). Journal of Mammology 84:159-176.
Gray. Walkers Mammals of the World. 6th Edition, Volume 1. 1837. John Hopkins
University Press. 736-737.
*Reference written by Lisa Gabriel, Bio 378:Edited by Chris Yahnke
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