![]() ![]() and Neogale spp.), have shown signs of significant population decline (Gompper, 2017 Jachowski et al., 2021). Even small carnivore species that were previously widely distributed and considered “least concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), such as weasels ( Mustela spp. Globally, many small mammalian carnivores (<16 kg) face decreasing population trends due to multiple threats, including land use change, disease, and overhunting (Belant et al., 2009 Marneweck et al., 2021). By studying the natural history of western spotted skunks in the Pacific Northwest forests, while they are still abundant, we provide key information necessary to achieve the conservation goal of keeping this common species common. Due to their diverse diet and prey switching, western spotted skunks may dampen the effects of irruptions of prey, such as wasps, during dry springs and summers. ![]() Western spotted skunks provide food web linkages between aquatic, terrestrial, and arboreal systems and serve functional roles of seed dispersal and scavenging. We observed a similar diet in areas with no record of human disturbance and areas with a history of logging at most spatial scales, but scats collected in areas with older forest within a skunk's home range (1-km buffer) were more likely to contain insects. Comparison in diet by season revealed that spotted skunks consumed more insects during the dry season (June–August), particularly wasps (75% of scats in the dry season), and marginally more mammals during the wet season (September–May). Diet also consisted of items, such as black-tailed deer, that were likely scavenged. Western spotted skunk diet consisted of invertebrates, such as wasps, millipedes, and gastropods vertebrates, such as small mammals, amphibians, and birds and plants, such as Gaultheria, Rubus, and Vaccinium. We collected 130 spotted skunk scats opportunistically and with detection dog teams and identified prey items using DNA metabarcoding and mechanical sorting. ![]() To address one of these deficiencies for western spotted skunks ( Spilogale gracilis), we investigated their diet in the Oregon Cascades of the Pacific Northwest during 2017–2019. Their conservation and management are often challenging due to limited knowledge about their ecology and natural history. There are increasing concerns about the declining population trends of small mammalian carnivores around the world. ![]()
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