Mephitis macroura
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The hooded skunk (Mephitis macroura) is a species of mammal in the family Mephitidae. Mephītis in Latin means "foul odor", μακρός (makrós) in Greek translates to "long" and οὐρά (ourá) translates to "tail". It can be distinguished from the similar striped skunk (M. mephitis) by its longer tail and longer, much softer coat of fur, and larger tympanic bullae. A ruff of white fur around its neck gives the animal its common name. Three color phases are known and in all three, a thin white medial stripe is present between the eyes: black-backed with two lateral white stripes, white-backed with one dorsal white stripe, or entirely black with a few white hairs in the tail.
The hooded skunk ranges from the Southwestern United States to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northwest Costa Rica. It is more abundant in Mexico. These skunks are found to be more than 50% smaller in southern Mexico than in the Southwestern United States. It is found in grasslands, deserts, and in the foothills of mountains, avoiding high elevations. It tends to live near a water source, such as a river. The females tend to be 15% smaller than the males and their breeding season... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Castellar Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Acuario Michin Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hooded Skunk sighting in Saguaro National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 19th most-seen of the 24 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, September and November–January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hooded Skunk in Saguaro National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, April–August and October, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hooded Skunk sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Saguaro National Park, in our data
Saguaro National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Hooded Skunk sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hooded Skunk is recorded against all the mammals logged in Saguaro National Park (11 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
