The long-term, range-wide decline of a once common carnivore: the eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius)

The eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius) was once common throughout the midwestern and southeastern United States, with consistent annual range-wide harvests of 100 000 animals. In the 1940s, however, populations seemingly crashed and the species is currently listed by various state agencies as endangered, threatened, or ‘of concern’ across much of its range. We examined long-term harvest records from 10 states to better understand the 20th century population dynamics of eastern spotted skunks, to discern whether the putative decline was biologically real or an artifact of altered harvest pressures and to identify the timing of the decline. Analyses reveal unequivocally that the species was indeed once common in the Great Plains. Beginning in about 1940, harvests dramatically declined, although the onset of declines differed between states. By the early 1950s total harvests in all states were < 10% of pre-crash harvest. Thereafter, rates of decline slowed, but nevertheless continued, such that by the 1980s harvests were < 1% of those during pre-decline years. Analyses show that these declines are real and not an artifact of harvest effort. Although the causes of the decline remain unclear, the analyses suggest a need for immediate attention to address the long-term persistence of this species. ‘On a round trip of 595 miles between Stockport and Sioux City, Iowa, during the last week of April, 1942, 19 dead spotted skunks were seen on the road for an average of about one every 26 miles. The route was retraced only 100 miles. Five of the skunks were encountered on an 11-mile stretch [ . . . ] in the center of the state.’