CALIFORNIA SPOTTED SKUNK. Spilogale phenax phenax Merriam

Field characters.—Size slightly less than that of California Ground Squirrel; tail slightly over half the length of head and body. Head and body 9 to 12 inches (232-300 mm.), tail 5-1/4 to 6-1/4 inches (135-160 mm.), ear about 3/4 inch (15-26 mm.), weight 10 to 21 ounces (276-600 grams). Coloration of body black, with spots and irregular short stripes of white; end of tail white. 'Skunky' odor, same as that of Striped Skunk.

Occurrence.—Common resident in Lower and Upper Sonoran zones, and sparingly in Transition Zone, on western slope of Sierra Nevada. Recorded from Snelling and Lagrange eastward to floor of Yosemite Valley. Seeks shelter in burrows of other mammals and under piles of logs or rocks; forages in open at dusk and during the night.

The Little Spotted Skunk, not infrequently referred to as "hydrophobia skunk," and known to most trappers as "civet cat," is a common resident of the lower western portion of the Yosemite region, and, in small numbers, reaches the floor of Yosemite Valley. Locally it was found very commonly at Snelling; probably its maximum abundance is in that direction.

In Yosemite Valley the species came to our notice only along the warm north side. One was trapped December 29, 1914, in the talus at the foot of Indian Cañon, where it had a retreat beneath a granite boulder. Another was taken June 25, 1915, beneath a boulder pile near the lower end of the Yosemite Falls trail.

The Spotted Skunk makes use of natural retreats and of the burrows of other mammals. Our records indicate that specimens were taken not only near crevices or holes under rocks, but at the mouths of ground squirrel burrows, and near old badger holes.

The food of this skunk, as of its larger relative, is quite varied, including small mammals, insects, and vegetable materials of several sorts.

The Spotted Skunk is provided with glands near the base of the tail which, when the animal is provoked, emit a malodorous secretion. To our nostrils this odor does not differ in strength or quality from that of the Striped Skunk.