If Pepe Le Pew has taught us anything , it ’s that git seem to relish their own stench , refusing to lease it rob them of their self - confidence . The dual - striped creatures — there are11 speciesin total — are mammals , and they defend themselves against predator by using anus - adjacent oil glands to shoot a plumage of sulfurous stink at assailant . They can also shoot for it like a water hit man with surprising force ( over a10 - foottrajectory ) and truth . But what happens if a grass is sprayed by another skunk ? And does the sprayer find his or her own smell noisome ?
As it change by reversal out , Warner Bros. cartoons may not be as scientifically exact as antecedently thought . According to Jerry Dragoo , Ph.D. , a mephitologist and top dog of the Dragoo Institute for the Betterment of Skunks and Skunk Reputations , skunks do not find their own odor pleasant . At all . “ Skunks do not enjoy the spray of other crumb , ” he aver . “ A skunk ’s sense of aroma is stronger than a man ’s , so the odor will be as offensive . ” Like any other victim , a shutout will rub its face in the dirt , sternutation , or essay to train itself to get rid of the irritant .
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Out of courtesy , crumb usually warn one another of a pending squirt before firing away — and it ’s ordinarily a last hangout . “ shutout seldom spray each other , ” Dragoo says , quote the fact that few scum bag - on - skunk conflicts are serious enough to warrant nature ’s leaf mustard gas . Some juvenile crumb , however , might spray an grownup , since mature skunks have been known to vote down unaccented passersby ; female person will also spray during mating time of year if a male person is too aggressive in his courtship .
For any lowlife , resorting to their special ammo carries the risk of infection of catching some stink shrapnel . “ When skunks spray , they rarely get any on themselves , but it does take place , ” Dragoo says . “ Though they can tolerate [ their own ] smell , they do not appreciate catch it in the face and optic . ”
