Selection by striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) of farmsteads and buildings as denning sites

In die Canadian prairies maternal dens of striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis ) are often located under a building in a farmstead. However, not all farms teads or buildings are used by skunks, suggesting that striped skunks have specific preferences. To test this hypothesis, we measured a variety of par ameters of farmsteads and buildings present in an area where striped skunks were intensively radio-tracked from 1993-1995. Farmsteads that were used b y skunks as maternal dens or resting sites did not differ from unused farms teads by number of buildings, degree of use by humans, distance to water or habitat availability within a 1km radius. However, buildings that were use d for dens could be differentiated from buildings not used for dens by thf presence of a closed space underneath them. The presence of a closed space underneath a building floor is important for striped skunks, possibly becau se of low construction and maintenance costs of dens, thermoregulatory adva ntages and reduced predation risk. Abandoned buildings suitable for skunks may be managed by removal, or by more effective exclusion or trapping of re sident skunks.