SKUNK HANDSTAND

Right before spotted skunks unleash their noxious thiol, they take a final acrobatic stance to signal the countdown to detonation has begun. With their front two paws firmly dug into the ground, these small mammals lift their hind legs into the air and fan out their bushy tails. In a handstand almost perfectly perpendicular to the ground, spotted skunks use their stance to make themselves look larger than they are to some animals before ultimately releasing their spray. These skunks even walk towards any threats on their front two legs while in this pose. Spotted skunks aren’t the most intimidating animals in the woods and weigh less than a kilogram on average. However, this doesn’t stop them from standing up to much larger predators.