It can be surprisingly difficult to count a group of baby skunks. The little ones all crowd around their mama as she leads them and it’s hard to distinguish the individuals. They become one big black and white ball of fur – lots of tiny legs galloping and tails all flying high.
We think it’s the tails that make counting so tricky. A baby skunk’s tail is bigger than the actual baby skunk, and when they’re out with mama all you can see is a thicket of big fluffy tails rushing this way then that way then back the way they came.
Skunks have the most extravagantly beautiful tails in the world (by the way).
The traditional collective noun for skunks is a “surfeit”. We think that’s insulting, and so do the skunks. In this video, Dan proposes a “chaos”. We also think a “Brownian” would work (think back to your high school chemistry classes). I like a “snit”, because they’re cranky little critters. Send us your suggestions.
19Aug25: @LauraRyanSays suggests a “tailspin” of skunks. Very clever.
24Aug25: @TradeWinds66 offers a “skank” of skunks. I know, I know… but it’s alliterative and we like it anyway. 02Sept25: @Digital_Piss gives us a “nightmare” of skunks. Do I sense a little PTSD?
#texasbackyardwildlife