tpeakphotos
Pepe Le Pew Stopping By - Lassen County California
After seeing this striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) on one of my security cameras quite a bit I was hoping it'd show up to my backyard camera trap at some point. On this night when it finally did arrive it did its best to wear out all my batteries as it sniffed around on the other side of the log with only its tail showing over the top while triggering the sensor about 25 times. At least it finally did have the decency to show its face over the top once. I find it rather interesting how the flashes reflect back sort of "prismatic" off its fur. I did a quick read on this and found there are several factors in why this happens, notably the lack of much pigment in the animal's guard hairs making them quite translucent and the fact that their fur is just generally oily.
A striped skunk peering over an old log in the California high desert, its fur catching the flash in an oddly beautiful iridescent glow. For the wildlife enthusiast who appreciates the less-glamorous nocturnal visitors — and for anyone who'd actually hang a skunk on their wall.
Pepe Le Pew Stopping By - Lassen County California
After seeing this striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) on one of my security cameras quite a bit I was hoping it'd show up to my backyard camera trap at some point. On this night when it finally did arrive it did its best to wear out all my batteries as it sniffed around on the other side of the log with only its tail showing over the top while triggering the sensor about 25 times. At least it finally did have the decency to show its face over the top once. I find it rather interesting how the flashes reflect back sort of "prismatic" off its fur. I did a quick read on this and found there are several factors in why this happens, notably the lack of much pigment in the animal's guard hairs making them quite translucent and the fact that their fur is just generally oily.
A striped skunk peering over an old log in the California high desert, its fur catching the flash in an oddly beautiful iridescent glow. For the wildlife enthusiast who appreciates the less-glamorous nocturnal visitors — and for anyone who'd actually hang a skunk on their wall.