Busy Den Site

I have been using the game cam to monitor a den site in the forest behind T.A. for over a month and have gotten a large volume of images including multiple species. This den seems to serve more than one purpose. I have observed small rodent and porcupine tracks entering and exiting the mouth of the den indicating that these animals are using it for shelter. The skunks shown have spent some time in and around the den as well. Our native species of skunk is officially referred to as the striped skunk but their coloration his highly variable. Check out how much darker one individual is than the other in the videos below. I have come across a broad spectrum of color patterns on skunks in my travels from all black to nearly completely white.

Both of these skunks spent some time in the den before moving on. 

In addition to the skunks, I have gotten photos of Coyotes (Canis latrans), gray foxes, and red foxes. To these creatures, the den site seems more like a marking post than anything else. The entrance to the den is too small to fit any of these larger canids. Scent marking is common with many of our native mammals. It is an effective way to communicate age, sex, and overall health with other members of the same species as well as mark territory. This behavior is extra important for the foxes in the area as they are at the height of their breeding season right now and are working to establish a territory to raise their kits in the spring.  

 (Top to Bottom) Coyote, red fox and gray fox visiting the same den site hunting small rodents and scent marking.

Watch as this gray fox sniffs around the den site then begins to scent mark as it walks away.