Every one of the 108 Texas records for this skunk comes through GBIF, with zero iNaturalist observations, an unusual split that points to museum and survey specimens doing all the documenting rather than anyone actually photographing a live animal. That fits a small, secretive, entirely nocturnal predator that spends its day underground or in rock crevices and rarely crosses a camera trap, let alone a hiking trail.
Records cluster in the refuge country of the central Gulf Coast, including Aransas National Wildlife Refuge and Padre Island National Seashore, with reports peaking sharply in August. NatureServe ranks the species secure (S5) in Texas, so the late-summer bump likely reflects survey timing rather than any real change in how many skunks are out there.
Full species profile
