Spots and Stripes

What's your preference? Small and spotty, or big and striped?

Fortunately, we have both in Cali, and they cover pretty much the same ranges - except Stripes tends to woods and suburbs, and Spots prefers chaparral. Neither likes deserts or plains.

Both have "le pew," are smart, quite friendly, and make good pets.

They also eat the same stuff - everything. As true omnivores, both hunt for insects, berries, bulbs, mice, birds, eggs, bee hives, wasp's nests, frogs, fruit, nuts...

But, Spots and Stripes seem to coexist just fine.

As is shown in the Tehachapis, in a small Tucker oak and silk tassel studded drainage, where these two characters came by...


Western Spotted Skunk, Spilogale gracilis, on August 8th at 1am


Striped Skunk, Mephitis mephitis, on August 11th at 4:40am

So, which is your fave formal wearer? Spots or Stripes?

I'll leave you with this classic...

  Bele: It is obvious to the most simple minded that Lokai is of an inferior breed.

  Spock: The obvious visual evidence, commissioner, is that he is of the same breed as yourself.

  Bele: Are you blind, Commander Spock? Well look at me. Look at me!

  Spock: You are black on one side and white on the other.

  Bele: I am black on the right side!

      - Star Trek - Let That Be Your Last Battlefield

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References:

• Wikipedia - Spotted Skunk
• Wikipedia - Striped Skunk
• IMdB - Star Trek - Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
• The Nature of a Man (this blog) - posts about cam trapping the Tehachapis

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