Like a kung-fu master, the skunk travels peaceably through the world, secure in the knowledge of its own powers, and employing its weapon only as a last resort.
Before a skunk sprays, it gives its adversary an opportunity to back down and save face. A threatened striped skunk will arch its back and raise its tail to better advertise its warning colors, it may chatter its teeth, and when really worked up, it may stamp the ground with its forefeet. By the time it curls its body in a U-shape and completely raises its tail facing the intruder, it is too late.
Twin nipples usually tucked into the anus are everted and, looking over its shoulder, the provoked skunk lets fly with an amazingly well-aimed shot of a sulfurous N-butyl mercaptan in an oily, amber fluid. This can travel
over 15 feet, and can be employed either as a mist or in jets, as the situation requires. And the skunk can direct the spray not only over either shoulder but also to either side, in front of or behind itself, and even above itself in order to hit its target--which is its opponent's face.
Have you (or perhaps a 4-legged friend) ever met or tested the patience of the peaceful warrior?
(Come back for a visit on Saturday for our first-ever blogger scavenger hunt. See more details in the previous post.)
