How It Works

WHY DO SKUNKS SMELL?

- Susie Green

Skunks are renowned for their ability to smell really bad. Not something you want to have associated with your species, but for skunks it’s a massive advantage. Skunks do this by spraying a chemical, or thiol, which is made of sulphurous compounds, and they have a very strong odour. Not only that, but these thiols are very good at sticking to materials and mixing with chemicals to make the smell stick. If a skunk has sprayed this on any of your upholstery or clothes, the smell can often last for weeks. In fact, scientists have successful­ly isolated the compounds that make the smell stick and applied it to perfumes and fragrances in order to give a longer lasting smell.

A skunk will only spray if it’s agitated or stressed, and releases the spray from scent glands in the anus. In addition to smelling awful, the spray can cause vomiting and have effects similar to tear gas, which is a great defence mechanism. As an interestin­g side note, skunk spray is also phosphores­cent, so it will glow in the dark.

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