Food Intake, Weight Changes and Activity of Confined Striped Skunks (Mephitis mephitis) in Winter

1977 ◽  
Vol 98 (2) ◽  
pp. 331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Aleksiuk ◽  
Antony P. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Mephitis Mephitis ◽  
Weight Changes ◽  
Striped Skunks

scholarly journals Summer Movements and Impact of Individual Striped Skunks, Mephitis mephitis, on Duck Nests in Saskatchewan

2006 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 342
Author(s):  
Serge Larivière ◽  
Lyle R. Walton ◽  
François Messier
Keyword(s):  
Mephitis Mephitis ◽  
Direct Function ◽  
Canadian Prairies ◽  
Striped Skunk ◽  
Intensive Observations ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Foraging Movements ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Striped Skunks ◽  
Nesting Season

Striped Skunks (Mephitis mephitis) are important predators of duck eggs in the Canadian prairies. We estimated the impact of individual Striped Skunks on duck nests by intensive observations of foraging movements and depredation of duck nests in southern Saskatchewan, 1993-1994. Nightly, skunk movements were variable (range 0-20 km per night), and did not differ among seasons for females, or between males and females during the parturition/rearing season. Overall, nightly movement of Striped Skunks averaged 7.4 km for females (SD = 5.9 km, n = 20 females) and 6.7 km for males (SD = 3.2 km, n = 5 males). During 1,873 h of radio-tracking, we observed depredation of 10 duck nests by 8 skunks (7 F, 1 M). Using our observed estimate of one depredation for every 187 h, and averaged nightly activity of 8-10 h per night, we estimated that individual skunks find one duck nest every 19-23 nights. Thus, during the 60-day nesting season for ducks (mid-May to mid-July), individual skunks probably find 2-3 duck nests. These observations reinforce the growing evidence that, at normal duck nest densities (<2.5 nests/ha), depredation of eggs by Striped Skunks is opportunistic, and the impact of Striped Skunks on duck nests is a direct function of Striped Skunk abundance.

scholarly journals Streptococcus equisimilis Infection in Striped Skunks (Mephitis mephitis) in Saskatchewan

2002 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 641-643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yeen Ten Hwang ◽  
G. Wobeser ◽  
S. Larivière ◽  
F. Messier
Keyword(s):  
Mephitis Mephitis ◽  
Striped Skunks

Effect of continuous infusions of CCK-8 on food intake and body and pancreatic weights in rats

1988 ◽  
Vol 254 (1) ◽  
pp. R17-R22 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Lukaszewski ◽  
M. Praissman
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
High Dose ◽  
Weight Changes ◽  
Body Weight Changes ◽  
Jugular Veins ◽  
Indirect Measure ◽  
Pancreatic Growth ◽  
Infusion Period

The ability of cholecystokinin (CCK) to act as a long-term satiety factor was assessed by its continuous infusion into the jugular veins of rats. Animals receiving a low dose of cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) (0.6 microgram CCK-8.kg body wt-1.h-1) did not show any significant differences in body weight changes or in food consumption from rats receiving saline and a group of unoperated controls over the 7-day infusion period. A 19.3-fold greater dose of CCK-8 (11.6 micrograms.kg body wt-1.h-1) did cause a significant decline in food consumption for the first 4 days compared with saline-infused rats (P less than 0.05) and unoperated controls (P less than 0.01). Rats receiving a high dose of CCK gained weight at a slower rate than rats receiving saline, but this effect lasted only 2 days and was not significant. Pancreatic growth was used as an indirect measure of elevated CCK levels in these animals. The infusion of 0.6 microgram CCK-8.kg body wt-1.h-1 did not lead to sufficiently elevated peptide levels to promote pancreatic growth. In contrast, those rats receiving a high dose of CCK-8 had significantly greater pancreatic weights (P less than 0.01) compared with saline-treated rats and unoperated controls. These results indicate that CCK-8, when administered continuously and in a large enough dose, can suppress food intake in rats for a period of several days before losing its effectiveness.

Spatial ecology of urban striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) in the Northern Great Plains: a framework for future oral rabies vaccination programs

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 539-552
Author(s):  
Anna L. Schneider ◽  
Amy T. Gilbert ◽  
W. David Walter ◽  
Gregory S. Vandeberg ◽  
Jason R. Boulanger
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Spatial Ecology ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Mephitis Mephitis ◽  
Vaccination Programs ◽  
Striped Skunks ◽  
Rabies Vaccination

Olfactory Search Images in Striped Skunks

Behaviour ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 119 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 267-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vilis O. Nams
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Prey Preference ◽  
Mephitis Mephitis ◽  
Reaction Distance ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
Striped Skunks ◽  
Specific Food ◽  
Shifting Attention

AbstractStriped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) which had been raised in captivity can increase their reaction distance to the smell of a given food. This reaction distance decreases after they find other types of foods, using either sound or smell. This decrease could be a result of skunks increasing preference for specific food, or shifting attention onto the smell of specific food. However, other experiments showed that skunks do not change prey preference. Therefore the decrease in reaction distance is likely due to skunks shifting attention to the smell of specific food. I suggest that this is the olfactory analogue to visual search images-i.e. olfactory search images.

Sex Differences in Severity of Inflammation-Induced Anorexia and Weight Loss

2004 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 255-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry A. Lennie
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Acute Inflammation ◽  
Sesame Oil ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Weight Changes ◽  
Body Weight Changes

Food intake and body weight changes in response to induction of acute inflammation were examined in intact cycling females, ovariectomized females, and sham-operated male rats. In intact females, body weight and feeding responses were compared between rats in which inflammation was induced on day of estrus with rats in which inflammation was induced on day of diestrus. Anorexia and weight loss were more severe in the female rats with inflammation induced on estrus day, which coincides with peak serum estrogen levels. In ovariectomized females, inflammation was induced the day after rats received injections of estrogen, progesterone, or sesame oil (vehicle). Males received vehicle injections. Among female rats, the group that received estradiol injections the previous day displayed the most severe anorexia. The least severe anorexia was observed in female rats that received progesterone the previous day. Food intake of female rats that received vehicle injections prior to induction of inflammation was greater than the rats receiving estrogen but less than the rats receiving progesterone. Male rats displayed the most severe anorexia and greatest weight loss. These data suggest that, although females exposed to estradiol prior to induction of acute inflammation display more severe anorexia than those exposed to progesterone, it may be that progesterone attenuates severity of anorexia rather than estrogen solely potentiating severity. Male rats, however, appear to experience the most severe anorexia in response to this form of inflammation.

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