High density and survival of a native small carnivore, the Florida spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius ambarvalis), in south-central Florida

• Published in: Journal of mammalogy Vol. 102; no. 3; pp. 743 - 756
• Main Authors: Harris, Stephen N., Froehly, Jennifer L., Glass, Stephen L., Hannon, Christina L., Hewett Ragheb, Erin L., Doonan, Terry J., Jachowski, David S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: US American Society of Mammalogists 01.06.2021; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: density; dry prairie; Florida; mark–recapture; Spilogale putorius; spotted skunk; survival; density; spotted skunk; survival; dry prairie; Florida; recapture; mark
• ISSN: 0022-2372; 1545-1542
• DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyab039

The eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius) is a species of conservation concern across much of its range and has experienced a population decline since the 1940s. Little is known about the Florida spotted skunk (S. p. ambarvalis), a subspecies endemic to peninsular Florida, but previous studies and the frequency of incidental observations suggest that populations of this subspecies might be more abundant than the two eastern spotted skunk subspecies that occur elsewhere. To better understand the status and demography of the Florida spotted skunk, we assessed the density and survival of a population occurring predominantly in dry prairie habitat in south-central Florida. To obtain density estimates, we trapped spotted skunks on a mark–recapture grid over 11 independent 4-day trapping sessions from 2016 to 2018. To obtain survival estimates, we monitored weekly survival of 38 radiocollared spotted skunks (20 collared initially in 2016 and 18 collared initially in 2017) from February 2016 to August 2017. We captured a minimum of 91 unique spotted skunks on 404 occasions on the mark–recapture grid and our density estimates ranged from 6.52 ± 2.93 skunks/km2 to 23.29 ± 7.65 skunks/km2, depending on trapping session, but seasonal differences in density were not significant. The sex ratio of spotted skunks at our site was 1.0M:3.8F. Mean annual survival for all spotted skunks was 0.714 (0.503–0.925, 95% CI), and sex, season, and year did not have significant effects on survival. This survival estimate is the highest reported thus far for any skunk species. Collectively, the density and survival estimates from our study are higher than those of many other mephitids and mustelids of similar size, and these findings reinforce the value of studying locally abundant populations of small carnivores to better inform the conservation, management, and potential restoration of these species in the future.