A Skunk

<b style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Nimbus Sans L", Arial, "Liberation Sans", sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">Skunks are North and South American <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammals" title="Mammals" class="mw-redirect" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Nimbus Sans L", Arial, "Liberation Sans", sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">mammals</a> in the family <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mephitidae" title="Mephitidae" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Nimbus Sans L", Arial, "Liberation Sans", sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">Mephitidae</a>. Mephitidae means 'stink' which is how skunks got their name. While related to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polecat" title="Polecat" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Nimbus Sans L", Arial, "Liberation Sans", sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">polecats</a> and other members of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel_family" title="Weasel family" class="mw-redirect" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Nimbus Sans L", Arial, "Liberation Sans", sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">weasel family</a>, skunks have as their closest Old World relatives the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stink_badger" title="Stink badger" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Nimbus Sans L", Arial, "Liberation Sans", sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">stink badgers</a>.<span class="mw-ref" id="cite_ref-1" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Nimbus Sans L", Arial, "Liberation Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 0.75em; vertical-align: super; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; unicode-bidi: embed; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/#cite_note-1" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background: none; color: rgb(107, 75, 161); counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;"></a> The animals are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/#Anal_scent_glands" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Nimbus Sans L", Arial, "Liberation Sans", sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">smell</a>.<span class="mw-ref" id="cite_ref-2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Nimbus Sans L", Arial, "Liberation Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 0.75em; vertical-align: super; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; unicode-bidi: embed; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/#cite_note-2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background: none; color: rgb(107, 75, 161); counter-reset: mw-Ref 2;"></a><span class="mw-ref" id="cite_ref-3" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Nimbus Sans L", Arial, "Liberation Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 0.75em; vertical-align: super; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; unicode-bidi: embed; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/#cite_note-3" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background: none; color: rgb(107, 75, 161); counter-reset: mw-Ref 3;"></a><span class="mw-ref" id="cite_ref-4" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Nimbus Sans L", Arial, "Liberation Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 0.75em; vertical-align: super; background-image: none; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; unicode-bidi: embed; color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/#cite_note-4" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background: none; color: rgb(107, 75, 161); counter-reset: mw-Ref 4;"></a> Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginger colored, but all have <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aposematism" title="Aposematism" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, "Nimbus Sans L", Arial, "Liberation Sans", sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: rgb(107, 75, 161);">warning coloration</a>.