Is Skunk Spray Harmful?

Skunks have a somewhat tainted reputation, mostly because they practice chemical warfare. Without their smell, skunks might be seen as cute, possibly even charming rascals, helped along by their portrayal in old Warner Brothers cartoons. However, they do smell badly as anyone who has been on the receiving end knows. But aside from the foul odor, is there any other harmful effect from skunk spray?

  1. A Smelly Family

    • Skunks are not the only animals that smell bad. They were once classified as members of the family that includes otters, weasels, minks and other similar animals. All of these animals use anal scent glands to mark their territory. As the name suggests, these glands give off a secretion with a foul odor. Skunks, however, have the added ability to spray these secretions rather than just merely rubbing them off.

    A Potent Weapon

    • Skunks can spray a small amount of the secretion up to 10 feet away, though it takes them a while to make more. Consequently, skunks are reluctant to use it unless provoked or startled into doing so. The chemicals in the secretion are mostly sulfur based, creating an odor that will keep even bears from going after skunks. As a result, their main predator tends to be owls, which have a poor sense of smell.

    Persistently Smelly

    • Once sprayed on something, the smell tends to linger. It can be almost impossible to get out of clothes and other fabrics, and takes multiple washings in special solutions just to get it off of your skin. Tomato juice works, but there are commercially available chemically-based solutions, too. A concentrated dose from a close distance may also irreparably stain fabrics.

    Nature's Pepper Spray

    • Most of the power comes from the smell, and it's a potent enough odor to cause adverse reactions. It can cause a person's eyes to water and in high concentrations, or for weak stomachs, lead to nausea. Direct contact with eyes can cause a stinging sensation and even temporary blindness, but this is rare. Most skunks will also give off other warning signs before spraying, such as stamping and hissing.

    No Lasting Effects

    • Skunk spray has no lasting effects. Any blindness caused is temporary and there are no recorded cases of anyone going permanently blind from skunk spray. Any effects usually wear off fairly quickly as the eyes' natural mechanisms flush out the chemicals. Skunk spray is a non-lethal deterrent and does not contain any poisons or other harmful chemicals that would cause permanent damage, even when exposed to the membranes of the eyes, nose or even mouth.