White-backed hog-nosed skunk (Conepatus Leuconotus) occurrence in the Oklahoma panhandle

Bailey A. Kleeberg; Robert Charles Lonsinger; W. Sue Fairbanks

doi:10.1894/0038-4909-69.1.9

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USGS · 70262016

White-backed hog-nosed skunk (Conepatus Leuconotus) occurrence in the Oklahoma panhandle

Bailey A. Kleeberg·Robert Charles Lonsinger·W. Sue Fairbanks

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Abstract

The white-backed hog-nosed skunk ( Conepatus leuconotus ) is an understudied mesocarnivore thought to be declining throughout its range in the southwestern United States. With the exception of a single skull of unknown age, hog-nosed skunks have not been documented in Oklahoma since 1930. We conducted a camera trapping survey in Cimarron County, Oklahoma during summer 2022 and confirmed the presence of a hog-nosed skunk in Oklahoma. This finding provides the first evidence of a hog-nosed skunk in Oklahoma in over 90 years and is within the range of a poorly documented subspecies ( C. l. figginsi ) believed to be in decline.

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Source-reported bounding extent: 36.473325309410754° to 37.00915309484894° latitude; -102.98107396966623° to -99.91981602217896° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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Bailey A. Kleeberg, Robert Charles Lonsinger, W. Sue Fairbanks. 2024. White-backed hog-nosed skunk (Conepatus Leuconotus) occurrence in the Oklahoma panhandle. https://doi.org/10.1894/0038-4909-69.1.9

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