Molina's hog-nosed skunk explained

Molina's hog-nosed skunk, also called the Andes skunk (Conepatus chinga), is a skunk species from South America. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, and Uruguay, at elevations up to 5000 m.

Habitat

The Molina's hog-nosed skunk's native range is throughout mid to southern South America, Chile, Peru, northern Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and southern Brazil.[1] The mammal is therefore associated with temperate regions and open areas, mainly described as the Pampas biome[2] and preferring to live in open vegetation, shrub forest and rocky sloped areas.[1]

Population and distribution

Typically they will live alone in an average home range size of about 1.66 individuals/km2 with some overlapping and about six skunks per 3.5 km2.[3] Although living in mostly solitary areas, the skunks will come together temporarily for mating purposes.[1]

Diet

Foraging mainly at night, the skunk is omnivorous, eating birds, small mammals, eggs, insects, leaves, and fruit. The tooth morphology in the Molina's hog-nosed skunk, is different from most mammals in that their teeth are adapted to their omnivorous diet with grinding being the main function of the carnassial apparatus.[4]

Conservation status

The skunk is listed as "least concern" according to the IUCN Red List. The main threats to the skunk are increased habitat destruction and fragmentation[5] from over exploitation of humans and grazing in agriculture. The skunk is also affected by the planning of new roads and road-kills. Due to improper planning, habitat destruction, and fragmentation, the skunk has started living around man-made structures and along fences and buildings.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Afflerbaugh . Kevin . 2002 . Conepatus chinga . Animal Diversity Web . September 10, 2013.
  2. Kasper . Carlos B. . Soares . José B.G. . Freitas . Thales R.O. . 1 . 2012 . Differential patterns of home-range, net displacement and resting sites use of Conepatus chinga in southern Brazil . Mammalian Biology . 10.1016/j.mambio.2012.03.006 . 77 . 5 . 358–362.
  3. Castillo . D. F. . Lucherini . M. . Luengos Vidal . E. M. . Manfredi . C. . Casanave . E. B. . 1 . 2011 . Spatial organization of Molina's hog-nosed skunk (Conepatus chinga) in two landscapes of the Pampas grassland of Argentina. . Canadian Journal of Zoology . 10.1139/Z10-110 . 89 . 3 . 229–238.
  4. Peters . Felipe Bortolotto . de Oliveira Roth . Paulo Ricardo . Christoff . Alexandre Uarth . 1 . April 2011 . Feeding Habits of Molina's Hog-Nosed Skunk, Conepatus Chinga (Carnivora: Mephitidae) In The Extreme South of Brazil. . Zoologia (Curitiba) . 10.1590/S1984-46702011000200006 . 28 . 2 . 193 . The grinding function of the carnassial ap-paratus in skunks (et al. 1999) is considered to be appropriate for a diet with a predominance of beetles: small prey that offer lower physical resistance.. free .
  5. Castillo . Diego F. . Lucherini . Mauro . Casanave . Emma B. . 1 . July 2011 . Denning ecology of Molina's hog-nosed skunk in a farmland area in the Pampas grassland of Argentina. . Ecological Research . The Ecological Society of Japan . 10.1007/s11284-011-0855-y . 26 . 4 . 845–850 . 35862526 . Increasing habitat destruction and fragmentation has a tremendous influence on mesocarnivore communities..

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