As a courtesy, skunks rarely spray each other, but a hapless human or furious dog may not be so lucky. When skunks feel threatened, they will try to scare off a predator with a complex ‘warning dance’ before spraying. Skunks warn by raising their tail, arching their back like an angry cat, hissing, growling, and stomping their rear feet. Then they start running at you and stomping. If you don’t know what’s good for you by then, you probably deserve what’s coming!
Like other small animals, the skunk’s weapons are all about self-defense, not offense. The foul-smelling spray they eject from two small anal glands (known as a musk) indicates they taste bad – and the spray warns predators to stay away. Skunks are typically not aggressive, but will spray when threatened.
Skunks usually avoid conflict and often choose flight over fight. Unless suddenly scared, a skunk will give you lots of warning before it sprays. It will start by lifting the tail like a flag. That lift gets the tail out of the way of the spray, but also says, “Look here — I’m a skunk. Don’t you know what skunks do? Shouldn’t you be leaving?”