spotted skunk

American  

noun

1. either of two small, nocturnal skunks of the genus Spilogale, distinguished by a white forehead patch and a luxuriant coat of broken stripes and spots, including S. putorius of temperate North America and S. pygmaea of Mexico.

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Etymology

Origin of spotted skunk

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

Now that you’ve met the spotted skunk, here’s another important fact: There are more than one species, and parsing the difference between them is tricky.

From New York Times

They include the little brown bat, the plains spotted skunk, the Illinois chorus frog, the golden-winged warbler, Blanding’s turtle, the Mammoth Springs crayfish, two freshwater mussels and a plant called Hall’s bulrush.

From Seattle Times

Of mammals, Elliot’s short-tailed shrew, the northern long-eared bat, Franklin’s ground squirrel and the spotted skunk benefit.

From Washington Times

Northern flying squirrels, mice, birds, chipmunks, spotted skunks, short-tailed weasels, Douglas squirrel, snowshoe hare.

From Seattle Times

Instead, their cameras captured another rarely seen creature - the spotted skunk, a shy inhabitant of the Upstate’s hills.

From Washington Times