Handstands and Hidden Habits: Discovering Oklahoma’s elusive plains spotted skunk

Handstands and Hidden Habits: Discovering Oklahoma's elusive plains spotted skunk

Friday, December 19, 2025

Media Contact: Sophia Fahleson | Digital Communications Specialist | 405-744-7063 | [email protected]

While a handstand may be a party trick for friends, for the plains spotted skunk, a handstand is a unique defense mechanism used to spray its enemy. Balancing on its front paws with its tail in the air, this skunk flashes its white spots as a warning sign.

Unlike its striped cousins who linger on roadsides and torment campgrounds, the plains spotted skunk is elusive and secretive. Hiding in dense vegetation across central United States, humans rarely see it.

"When most people think of any sort of skunk, they think of Pepe Le Pew or just regular striped skunks," said Danielle Brosend, Oklahoma State University natural resource ecology and management master's student. "Plains spotted skunks are smaller, more carnivorous, and you are not going to see them as easily."

Plains spotted skunks are roughly the size of a squirrel, typically weighing around 2 pounds. In contrast, striped skunks are larger, averaging between 5 to 13 pounds, Brosend said.

The plains spotted skunk's elusive behavior paired with a lack of research conducted on them drew OSU researchers to study them, Brosend said. Research includes how to locate the species and learn more about its habitat in Oklahoma, she said.

"We know almost nothing about them," Brosend said. "We have ideas about longevity and reproduction, but we don't know their causes of mortality or exactly where they still live."

Through the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, the OSU Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management was awarded a grant to conduct research on the species' distribution and habitat needs, said Robert Lonsinger, U.S. Geological Survey research wildlife biologist and Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit assistant unit leader.

"ODWC partners with the Oklahoma Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at OSU," Lonsinger said. "Through this contracted partnership, OSU conducts the work themselves."

Beyond providing funding, ODWC plays an active role in the study by supporting field studies to ensure management goals, granting access to wildlife management areas, and assisting with landowner connections, Lonsinger said.

After OSU received the grant three years ago, Brosend began conducting fieldwork studies on the species in Ouachita National Forest in LeFlore County, Oklahoma, with her advisor, Lonsinger. This year she completed her final year of the study.

"The first year of research we really wanted to hone in on detection methods," Brosend said. "With elusive, rare species, the first thing you need to do is just be able to find them; otherwise, you can't do anything."

The first step in Brosend's research was finding a lure to attract the plains spotted skunk. Brosend and her team tested four lures: sardines in oil, fatty acid tablets; a skunk-based lure made from ground striped skunk scent glands; and a sugary mixture of peanut butter, jelly, molasses, anise oil and marshmallows, Brosend said.

Researchers used four cameras at each site. Each camera aimed at carefully arranged rocks or rock cairns with a single lure nested inside, Brosend said. Researchers randomly selected three of the lures to place at three of the cameras, while the fourth camera was left without a lure to serve as a control, she said.

From lures used, the sardines were the most effective at increasing detection of plains spotted skunks, Brosend said. The accessibility and affordability of sardines makes it a great option for any researcher to recreate this study, she said.

After finding sardines was the most popular lure, Brosend placed the sardines beneath carefully arranged rocks, shielding them from larger animals while leaving them accessible to plains spotted skunks and other small wildlife, she said. A motion-activated trail camera took photos each time a visitor approached.

"My work has been completely non-invasive, all cameras," Brosend said. "From 2023 to 2025, we had 82 to 90 sites where we set up four cameras each between January and May."

Brosend and her team sorted through more than 300,000 images in search of patterns on how plains spotted skunks live, she said.

In addition to testing lures, Brosend gathered information about the location of plains spotted skunks and vegetation surveys, she said.

Brosend measured visual obstruction, concealment and canopy density for each research site to assess how habitat structure might influence plains spotted skunk occupancy and why their population may be declining, she said.

The team found that plains spotted skunks were more likely to be present in areas with downed woody debris, such as logs and branches, which provide both cover from predators and habitat for prey, Brosend said.

Sites burned within the past year were more likely to be colonized by plains spotted skunks, suggesting fire may have a positive influence on where the animals settle, though more research is needed to understand why, she said.

Findings like these help shape broader conservation about the species' future, Lonsinger said.

"When considering whether a species should be listed as threatened or endangered, the goal is always to keep populations healthy enough that a listing isn't necessary," Lonsinger said. "At the same time, if a species is truly at risk, listing is the right step to protect it."

With the possibly of the plains spotted skunk being petitioned for the endangered species list, studies on the species are essential, Lonsinger said. Brosend is far too modest about the significance of her work, he said.

Lonsinger's three-year study shows the plains spotted skunk population is relatively stable in the area sampled.

Brosend's findings provide Oklahomans with valuable information about the plains spotted skunk's status in the state, Lonsinger said.

While formal research and data collection has concluded, the public can contribute by photographing any plains spotted skunk sightings and submitting them to the ODWC along with the location, time, and other helpful details, Brosend said.

Although much about the plains spotted skunk remains a mystery, Brosend's research provided scientists and wildlife managers with a clearer understanding of its presence in Oklahoma, Lonsinger said.

"The coolest thing about spotted skunks I think most people would agree on is that they do a little handstand before they spray," Brosend said. "That's probably what will make you fall in love with them."

Possessing a rare and remarkable defense mechanism display sets these tiny skunks apart from other small mammals and shows even the smallest, most elusive creatures can leave a lasting impression on those who take the time to watch and learn from them, Brosend said.

Story by: McKenna Breeding | Cowboy Journal