How Does the Skunk Help the Earth?

Skunks are often considered pests; they are best known for their primary defense mechanism, a spray of foul-smelling musk that burns the eyes and can be difficult to remove. They also sometimes dig holes in yards to find food and may transmit rabies to other organisms. Despite their poor reputations, skunks serve a valuable function in an ecosystem, as do all organisms.

Controlling Insect Populations

• Skunks are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and other animals. Insects make up about 70 percent of a skunk's diet, including both adult insects and larvae; skunks burrow small holes in the ground to find their meals. Skunks help to control insect populations, which protects our crops from being eaten by those insects.

Eating Other Pests

• Skunks eat other animals that humans consider pests, such as mice, rats, moles, shrews and ground squirrels. Skunks also eat bees by scratching on beehives then swatting down the bees that come out to investigate and eating them. Skunks sometimes eat carrion, or the carcasses of dead animals. Carrion-eating organisms help the ecosystem by ensuring that nutrients continue to be distributed throughout the environment and help us by disposing of dead animals on roadways.

Victims of Predation

• Skunks do not have many natural predators because of their effective defense mechanism, the foul-smelling musk that they spray. Most would-be predators are blinded by the spray and will not attack skunks after being sprayed. Although other mammals rarely prey on skunks, they are sometimes captured and eaten by large birds such as hawks and owls. Skunks therefore provide an avenue for the transfer of nutrients and energy throughout the organisms that make up their ecosystems.

Decomposition

• When skunks die in the wild, their bodies decompose. Their carcasses feed the bacteria that consume their tissues; they also return the basic elements of life, including water, carbon, phosphorous and nitrogen back to the environment. These processes serve to recycle the elements that compose all organisms and ensure the continued survival of the ecosystem.