Sunday, January 25, 2009

The Joy of skunks



Tonight on Nature on PBS, they did a documentary about skunks. It was entertaining and enlightening. But the most interesting fact I learned was that I am not the only person in the world who can't smell skunk!

I have always wondered about this strange disability. When I was a kid, my mom always remarked on my good sense of smell. This earned me the privilege of being called upon to smell the milk to see if it had turned. Yet, when we traveled down the road and the rest of the family would suddenly cry, "Pew! Somebody hit a skunk!" I would smell nothing unusual. To this day, I have never had the experience of smelling skunk.

The documentary featured a skunk researcher who is unable smell skunks, and didn't know it till he started working with them. He now has 80 skunks at his facility.

They really are delightful little things. Of course, I'm a sucker for a furry face no matter what the species.

I really have to get out more!

4 comments:

Ally.. said...

I watched that program! I was so intrigued by the secret life of skunks, and now I think they are really cute!

Bevie said...

I caught part of it, but I was so sleepy I fell asleep. When I was young I always wanted to have a skunk for a pet.

(Not immune to the smell, by the way.)

Linda McGeary said...

What a cute picture!
I went through a divorce some 30 years ago and once had a dream that my former husband and best friend who ran off together, were two skunks.
In the dream their white stripes slid off their backs and turned into doves and flew away.
It was my sign to forgive them and let them go.
I did.
I've always had a soft spot for skunks.
They also make an interesting totem animal if you want to examine your own nature through what animals can teach you.
I hope they will rerun that soon, as we missed it.

Olde Dame Penniwig said...

I've always thoughts skunks were mighty pretty.