lowlife are one of the only cute and potentially cuddly animals you endeavor to avoid at all price . You hump why : They let out a atrocious spray from their anuses to ward off potential threats . But just what gives a skunk its signature stench ? And what works to appease the scent after you ’ve been doused in dirty dog spray ? jot : It ’s not tomato plant juice .
Enter Anna Rothschild of PBS Digital Studios’Weird Scienceto explicate everything you ever wanted to acknowledge about stripy skunks and their spunky , little rectum .
As Rothschild explains between vivid finale - ups of wood pussy - maw and their anal - perfume glands , the stench of the mammal ’s spray is all a product of chemistry .
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“ The chemic composition of the atomiser is different depending upon the metal money ” of skunk , Rothschild remark , “ but all of them contain special kinds of compounds called thiols . ”
Thiols are essentially a compound of S ( which smells terrible ) and H atoms bonded together – it ’s in these revengeful chemicals where the wrath of all skunks can be discover . Per Rothschild , we determine that there ’s really three of these fearful smell out chemical compound present in striped skunk spray , and two of them smell downright filthy . There ’s also the Thioacetates – three of which are found in striped skunk spray – which smell bad when they interact with water , meaning that wash your dog after it ’s been sprayed can make it reek even bad .
Okay , but as for the ultimate dubiousness in skunk - service - journalism : “ What the hell should I do if a git ever spray me ? ” A mixture of 3 % hydrogen peroxide , a quarter cupful of broil soda , and a teaspoonful of swimming detergent ( i.e. , scoop ) , would serve you well .
The choice : Adhere to the many word of advice signs exhibited by skunks – hissing , stomping , lifting their tails , before they spray – they do n’t really need to spray you after all .
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Sam Blum is a News Staff Writer for Thrillist . He ’s also a martial arts and medicine nerd who appreciates a o.k. sandwich and cute dog . witness his clips in The Guardian , Rolling Stone , The A.V. Club and Vice . He ’s on Twitter@Blumnessmonster .
