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The long‐term, range‐wide decline of a once common carnivore: the eastern spotted skunk ( Spilogale putorius )
Author(s) -
Gompper Matthew E.,
Hackett H. Mundy
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
animal conservation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.111
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1469-1795
pISSN - 1367-9430
DOI - 10.1017/s1367943005001964
Subject(s) - carnivore , threatened species , range (aeronautics) , endangered species , population decline , ecology , mustela putorius , population , geography , biology , demography , zoology , habitat , predation , materials science , composite material , sociology
The eastern spotted skunk ( Spilogale putorius ) was once common throughout the midwestern and southeastern United States, with consistent annual range‐wide harvests of ≫100 000 animals. In the 1940s, however, populations seemingly crashed and the species is currently listed by various state agencies as endangered, threatened, or ‘of concern’ across much of its range. We examined long‐term harvest records from 10 states to better understand the 20th century population dynamics of eastern spotted skunks, to discern whether the putative decline was biologically real or an artifact of altered harvest pressures and to identify the timing of the decline. Analyses reveal unequivocally that the species was indeed once common in the Great Plains. Beginning in about 1940, harvests dramatically declined, although the onset of declines differed between states. By the early 1950s total harvests in all states were <10% of pre‐crash harvest. Thereafter, rates of decline slowed, but nevertheless continued, such that by the 1980s harvests were <1% of those during pre‐decline years. Analyses show that these declines are real and not an artifact of harvest effort. Although the causes of the decline remain unclear, the analyses suggest a need for immediate attention to address the long‐term persistence of this species.