North Dakota mammals

Striped Skunk in North Dakota

Mephitis mephitis

Native to North Dakota S5 Secure in North Dakota

Not listed as nonindigenous in North Dakota by USGS NAS; native to its North Dakota range.

IUCN Red List status

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Photo: FakirNL · CC BY-SA 4.0Mephitis mephitis in Dierenpark Zie-ZOOPhoto: Dan & Lin Dzurisin · CC BY 2.0Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) DSC 0030Photo: Ryan Hodnett · CC BY-SA 4.0Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) 02Photo: Henry, CJ, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domainStriped skunk mephitis mephitis omnivorous mammalPhoto: National Park Service from USA · CC BY 2.0Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) (24894459899)

Photo: FakirNL · CC BY-SA 4.0Mephitis mephitis in Dierenpark Zie-ZOOPhoto: Dan & Lin Dzurisin · CC BY 2.0Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) DSC 0030Photo: Ryan Hodnett · CC BY-SA 4.0Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) 02Photo: Henry, CJ, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service · Public domainStriped skunk mephitis mephitis omnivorous mammalPhoto: National Park Service from USA · CC BY 2.0Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) (24894459899)

Striped Skunk in North Dakota, by the numbers

Occasional in North Dakota 45th most recorded of 92 mammals logged in North Dakota

36 occurrence records

31 with iNaturalist photos

May 19, 2026 Last seen in North Dakota

Records from 2000–2026.

When to look for the Striped Skunk in North Dakota

Most sightings fall in May to July.

36 North Dakota occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly North Dakota records (table)

Month	Records
January	0
February	0
March	1
April	5
May	8
June	9
July	6
August	3
September	0
October	2
November	0
December	2

Monthly striped skunk occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in North Dakota, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in North Dakota, with recorded sightings peaking in May–July.

Occurrence map

Where Striped Skunk has been recorded in North Dakota

36 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

36 North Dakota records mapped

Where it's recorded in North Dakota

County	Records
Stutsman County	6
Walsh County	4
Burleigh County	4
McHenry County	3
Grand Forks County	3
Kidder County	3
Mercer County	2
Morton County	2
Eddy County	1
Wells County	1
Cass County	1
Rolette County	1
5 other counties	5

The complete county distribution, spread across 17 North Dakota counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Striped skunks carry a NatureServe S5 secure rank in North Dakota, and the record leans toward iNaturalist (31) over GBIF (29), suggesting casual sightings document this widespread, conspicuous species about as often as survey data does.

Records build through spring to a June peak (9 of the year’s monthly-tallied sightings), tracking the season when young skunks become mobile and dispersing juveniles turn up more often near roads and farmsteads; the record goes quiet in January, February, September, and November, likely reflecting reduced activity during the coldest stretches rather than any real absence.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Striped Skunk in other states

View all states →

Full species profile Striped Skunk Mephitis mephitis Size 46.5–81.5 cm1.5–2.7 ft Weight 0.6–6.3 kg1.3–13.9 lb Lifespan 3 yr View the full profile

More mammals in North Dakota in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries