It's not just skunks. Several other scrappy, medium-sized mammals can spray you with bad-smelling liquids from their anal glands. But they're not keeping it a secret: These animals have evolved certain signals that warn you and other potential predators to stay away (especially from the back end). If you know the signs, you can make sure to keep on the good side of any furry creatures you meet.
Striped skunk.
Providing more fodder for the theory that people are drawn to subjects resembling their own names, Theodore Stankowich of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, led a study on skunks and similar creatures. He wanted to know whether a skunk's bold black-and-white pattern, which certainly doesn't provide camouflage, is actually a warning signal to bigger animals that might eat the skunk.
Poisonous and nasty-tasting insects, frogs, and snakes often use vivid colors to advertise their unpalatability. Don't taste me, the monarch's ...
