The Secretive Island Skunks of Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands

Deep within Scorpion Canyon, on the southeast fringe of Santa Cruz Island, the nights arrive quickly during the winter. The sun sits lower on the horizon never allowing for much warmth to penetrate the canyon. As dusk approaches, the canyon cools, and by midnight it can be downright frigid.

In recent months, I’ve spent many nights looking for nocturnal life lurking beneath starry skies, especially the secretive island spotted skunk (Spilogale gracilis amphialus). I’ve smelled them on far more occasions than I’ve seen them. All those brief moments have happened on Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands, the only places in the world to find this tiny carnivore. 

“The skunks on Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Islands are genetically quite distinct,” said Lara Brenner, island scientist for The Nature Conservancy. “The thought is that they probably arrived just before Santarosae broke up (9,400 years ago), so the skunks on the two islands are almost as distinct as they are from the mainland population. I’m not sure if you can tell them apart based on their markings.”