Michigan Vertebrate Pest Management (Category 7D) Practice Exam

When a skunk is cornered, its primary defense is spraying a foul-smelling liquid from its anal glands. This oily spray contains sulfur compounds that deter predators, and skunks can aim it accurately at threats, sometimes from several feet away. They typically give warning signals first—stomping, tail raising, and vocalizing—before spraying. The color of the spray isn’t the key point; the important idea is the spray itself as the defensive strategy.

Other behaviors don’t fit the situation: barking and wagging a tail is more like a dog’s behavior; playing dead is characteristic of some other species (like opossums) rather than skunks; and chasing aggressively would be an offensive move, not a defensive spray.