I’m sure that many of you have seen the numerous skunks that have been killed on the roads and highways over the last couple of weeks.
There are two on County Route 11 on your way to Laurens. We actually smelled them before they ever came into sight. Yup — it was in the air.
Wait a minute! It’s still winter. What is a self-respecting skunk doing out of its den when temperatures hover below zero and there’s a foot of snow on the ground? Trust me: that male skunk didn’t have eating on his mind. You all know what I’m referring to.
Male skunks are polygamous. They will mate with several females, often wandering many miles every night looking for a mate. They will breed from early February until the end of March. A female will usually have just one litter of kittens a year.
The mating season is about the same for most small animals, possibly starting a couple of weeks earlier. A friend of mine asked me if coyotes are breeding at this time of the year, because he’s been hearing them howling throughout the night. The howling is not necessarily related to the breeding season.
Coyotes howl to communicate with other coyotes in their family unit as they hunt at night. They don’t howl to find a mate. Unlike the skunk, the male coyote is generally monogamous, having just one mate for many years.
During the courtship season they will wrestle and chase and even groom one another. The females have just one litter of pups about seven weeks later.
Coyotes, however, are more active and aggressive during the mating season. They do howl and are seen more often. That’s because last year’s male pups have left the family and are out looking for a mate. During this time of year you should be more attentive to your pets if they’re outside. A small dog or cat is an easy meal for these wild canines.
Over the past few years a new animal has appeared on the scene. The fisher, or fisher cat as it’s called, has become quite common in our woodlands. Their breeding season peaks in late March. The female will mate within days of giving birth to her two or three kits. Fishers are unique because of their “delayed implantation.” What’s that, you might ask?
The fertilized eggs remain dormant in the female’s uterus for the next 10 to 11 months. Then the eggs implant into the uterus and the babies are born one to two months after implantation. The kits grow fast: they reach the size of their mother within one year and can kill on their own shortly after.
So, what’s next? Springtime is almost here. It’s the time for rebirth and new growth. Large mammals usually mate in the fall, but the smaller ones wait until early spring. The whole mating ritual is triggered by the amount of daylight there is.
Mother Nature has it pretty well figured out and we’re just along for the ride. It’s so nice to just sit back and watch the show.