First Reported Observation of Food Provisioning to Offspring by an Eastern Spotted Skunk, a Small Carnivore

Emily D. Thorne; Charles Waggy

doi:10.1656/045.024.0108

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Emily D. Thorne,^1,* Charles Waggy²

¹1*Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,
²2West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (retired), Franklin, WV 26807.

^*Corresponding author - edthorne@vt.edu..

Abstract

While monitoring den activity using remote-sensing cameras in the central Appalachians in West Virginia, we observed an adult female Spilogale putorius L. (Eastern Spotted Skunk) deliver a live Plethodon glutinosus Green (Northern Slimy Salamander) to a juvenile skunk at a den. A possible explanation for the observed behavior could be food provisioning by the adult to provide nutrition and/or an opportunity to develop hunting and prey-handing skills. Food provisioning has rarely been observed in small carnivores such as spotted skunks, but it undoubtedly is a critical aspect of parental care for a range of taxa.

Citation Download Citation

Emily D. Thorne and Charles Waggy "First Reported Observation of Food Provisioning to Offspring by an Eastern Spotted Skunk, a Small Carnivore," Northeastern Naturalist 24(1), (1 March 2017). https://doi.org/10.1656/045.024.0108

Published: 1 March 2017

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