Animal
Striped skunk
Mephitis mephitis
A common nocturnal omnivore across Staten Island — the borough's most-recognizable scent-defense specialist. Eats large numbers of insects, especially yellowjacket-wasp and ground-bee nests, white-grub pest larvae in lawns, and occasional small vertebrates. A quiet pest-controller in residential and parks environments, despite its reputation.
Scientific
Mephitis mephitis is a 4–10 lb mephitid (formerly classified as a mustelid). Famous defensive musk from anal glands accurate to ~10 feet. Diet ~70% insects in summer — yellowjacket-wasp ground nests are a major food source. In winter, shifts to small vertebrates and stored food. Solitary outside breeding.
On Staten Island
Common across borough — Greenbelt, residential yards, parks edges. Often encountered on residential streets at dusk in summer. Like opossums, frequently misperceived as nuisance animals despite providing free pest control (white-grub larvae in lawns, yellowjacket nests in residential yards).
See also
Auto-generated from this entry’s typed relations: frontmatter, grouped by relation type so the editorial signal isn’t flattened.
- Member of: [[animal]]
- Contained by: [[staten-island]]
Sources
- NYC Parks Wildlife Unit observations
- Northeastern striped-skunk diet and ecology literature
Rooted in life.
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