Do skunks swim?

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Skunks have many abilities that work on their side, but swimming is not really one of the ones they are best known for. They can swim. They have certain features that make them not-bad when they get into the water. Slight webbing on their paws make it easier to paddle along, but skunks are not actually known for being an aquatic animal. In fact, they aren't even known for being for being a semi-aquatic animal. We know that skunks like to hang out at pools sometimes, because that seems to be the case with many wild creatures. But swimming in the pool? Nobody would have guessed that.



If the skunk had three choices open to it in order to get out of a predatory attack — 1) swimming away, 2) spraying, 3) scampering away and never seeing the predator again — the skunk would always pick this order: 3,2,1. Running away as fast as their clumsy little legs will carry them ensures that no one gets hurt, specifically, the skunk. Spraying is not the best option, especially if it isn't really necessary. They only have a certain amount of the foul-smelling stuff in their reserves and, once it's gone, they must wait for the reserves to replenish again. Finally, we have swimming away. This is generally an option that the skunk will take as a worst-case option. They can swim, and they're not actually that bad at it, it just seems that they don't want to. Or they choose not to, apart from when they absolutely have to.



For more information, you may want to click on one of these guides that I wrote:
How much does skunk removal cost? - get the lowdown on prices.
How to get rid of skunks - my main skunk removal info guide.