Ontogeny of antipredator behaviour in striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis)

The defensive display of a threatened adult striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) involves visual, auditory, and olfactory signals. Detection of a potential predator leads to either avoidance (run, hide, or den) or confrontational (tail-up, stomp, hiss, scratch, charge, aim, and spray) behaviours. Seventy skunks born in captivity were handled at five-day intervals starting at seven days of age and up to 52 days of age. The development of defensive behaviours (tail-up, stomp, run, aim, hide, spray, hiss, scratch, charge, and bite) and physical attributes (eye opening, external auditory meatus opening, and teeth eruption) were recorded. Tail-up, which signifies alertness and enhances warning colouration, was the most common and earliest defence behaviour observed. Musk was present at seven days of age, though the ability of a skunk to forcefully expel its chemical defence is not developed until 17 days. Initially spray events are not aimed at the threat; directed spray is initiated following eye opening at 32 d...