Local- and landscape-level den selection of striped skunks on the Canadian prairies

We examined the seasonal landscape and habitat use patterns of striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis Schreber, 1776). We tracked 52 male and 72 female skunks from September 1999 to June 2003 in Saskatchewan, Canada. At the local level, den structures differed by sex and season. In autumn/winter, all skunks preferred buildings, whereas in spring/summer females selectively used underground burrows and rock piles for parturition and rearing of young, and males used aboveground retreats. Den sites were closer to crop fields, roads, water sources, and macrohabitat edges than random sites. At the landscape level, den sites were associated positively with weighted mean shape index of crop fields, mean patch size of water bodies, total edge of water bodies, and weighted mean fractal dimensions of grassland, woodland, and farmsteads, suggesting that wetland edges and habitat complexity are important in den selection by skunks. Compositional analysis revealed sex- and season-specific differences at the population level. Both sexes preferred grass land/pastures and farmstead habitats for establishing den sites. In autumn/winter, skunks preferred grassland/pastures for winter dens. However, in spring/summer skunks preferred farmsteads for resting sites. Our results suggest that skunks respond to landscape and habitat features surrounding den sites, and not just specific den or local habitat characteristics.