Examples of animals that look like skunks include otters, badgers, weasels, martens, and wolverines.
There are certainly many species of animals that look like skunks, but not all of them produce the foul-smelling juice common to skunks.
Many people often mistake other animals for these black and white animals, but knowing the differences between these animals can help you better understand their characteristics and habits.
So what animals are often mistaken for skunks?
Examples of Animals Like Skunks
Examples of Animals Like Skunks
Scientific NameTaxidea taxus Species Mammal RangeTexas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana
The American badger is a short, short-legged animal with a broad body and a pointed head.
Badgers are also known to have black and white markings on their faces, causing them to be confused with skunks.
However, the main difference between badgers and skunks is that badgers do not have the ability to repel their prey with foul-smelling juice.
Scientific NameMartes foina Species of AnimalMammal RangeEurope and Central Asia
The beech marten is a type of mustelid that is widespread in Europe and Asia.
These animals are brown or reddish-brown in color with a yellow or white belly, and a long and bushy tail.
Although they don’t have the black and white colors of skunks, their colors and general appearance can easily lead to confusion.
3. Freddie-Badger China
3. Freddie-Badger China
Scientific Name Melogale moschata Species Native to China, including Hainan Island, south to Hong Kong and northern Indochina.
The Chinese badger ferret looks a lot like a skunk, with black fur and white stripes running down its back.
However, this creature is more closely related to weasels and otters than to skunks.
Ferret-badgers are found in various parts of Asia, including China, Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar.
Related Articles: What Colors Can Ferrets Be?
Scientific Name Lutra lutra Species Mammal RangeEurope, Asia, and Africa
At first glance, the Eurasian otter may look like a skunk because of its black and white fur.
However, if you look closely, you will see that this animal is not the same coloration as the skunk.
In addition, Eurasian otters do not produce a foul-smelling secretion that skunks secrete.
These creatures are often found near water, where they hunt fish, crabs, and other small animals.
Scientific Name Meles meles Species Species British Isles, Europe, and Scandinavia
The European badger is one of the mustelid family, which includes weasels, otters, and wolverines.
Badgers are found throughout Europe and Asia, and can grow up to two feet long.
Large animals with short legs and thick fur.
Their coats are usually gray or black with white patches on their faces.
Like skunks, badgers are nocturnal creatures and live in burrows.
Scientific Name Pekania pennanti Species of Animal Mammal Range North America
Fishing cats are often mistaken for skunks because of their black and white fur.
However, fishing cats are a type of weasel.
They are larger than skunks, with some adults weighing up to 30 pounds.
Fishing cats also do not have the ability to secrete a foul-smelling juice like skunks.
Scientific NamePteronura brasiliensis Species of South American Carnivores
The giant otter is a large, semiaquatic mammal native to South America.
These creatures can grow up to six feet long and weigh up to 70 pounds.
Large otters are often mistaken for skunks because of their similar colors.
Scientific Name Arctonyx collaris Species Southeast Asian Mammal
Also known as the great smelly badger, this animal is found in forests and jungles in Southeast Asia.
It has a black and white coat, like a skunk, but does not have the power to repel its predators with a poisonous liquid.
9. Honey Badger
9. Honey Badger
Scientific NameMellivora capensis Species Distribution Sub-Saharan Africa, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and western Asia
The honey badger is a small carnivorous mammal native to Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia.
It is actually a voracious predator that eats almost anything it can catch, including snakes, rodents, and even animals.
Honey badgers are often mistaken for skunks because they have similar black and white colors.
However, skunks do not have scales and have a more rounded body.
Also, badgers do not produce the foul-smelling juice that skunks are known for.
Scientific Name Meles anakuma Animal Species Location Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Shōdoshima
At first glance, the Japanese badger looks like a skunk.
They both have black and white fur, and are the same size.
However, there are important differences between these two animals.
For one, the Japanese do not have the distinctive white markings running down the middle of their backs like skunks.
In addition, Japanese skunks live in Asia, while skunks are found in North and South America.
Javan Ferret-Badger
Javan Ferret-Badger
Scientific NameMelogale orientalis SpeciesMammal RangeIndonesia
The Javan Ferret-Badger is one of the Mustelidae family, which includes weasels, otters, and badgers.
It looks like a big skunk and has the same color.
These animals are found in Southeast Asia and spend most of their time in trees.
Scientific Name Procyon lotor Species of Animal Mammal Range North America
Raccoons are one of the animals most often mistaken for skunks.
This is because both of them are nocturnal animals with black and white markings on their bodies.
Raccoons have longer tails than skunks, and their front legs are also very different.
Scientific NameMellivora capensis Species of Animal Species Sub-Saharan Africa
Ratels, also known as honey badgers, are among the animals most often mistaken for skunks.
They are found in Africa and parts of Asia and look similar to skunks with their black and white fur.
However, ratels do not have the ability to secrete a foul-smelling sap.
Instead, they release a musky smell from their anal glands as a form of self-defense.
Scientific Name Ailurus fulgens Animal Species China, Nepal, and Bhutan
The red panda is a small mammal native to the Himalayas in eastern and southwestern China.
These animals have red-brown fur, and their bodies are the same size as a domestic cat.
Red pandas are often mistaken for skunks because of their furry tails and black markings on their faces.
However, red pandas don’t have the same type of eyes that produce the foul-smelling juice that skunks do.
Scientific NameHydrictis maculicollis Species Central Africa
The next animal on our list is the spotted otter.
These animals are found in Africa and parts of Asia, and look similar to skunks.
They have long, short bodies and short legs, and their fur is mostly black and white on their necks.
Like skunks, they also have a long, bushy tail.
One of the biggest differences between these two animals is that the spotted otters do not have the ability to shed foul-smelling water.
They are also smaller than skunks, only about 3 feet long.
Scientific Name Mustela eversmanii Central and Eastern European Species
The steppe polecat is a member of the weasel family and is found in parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
They have black and white coats that look similar to skunks, but their fur is not as thick.
These animals are also much smaller than skunks, weighing only 1-2 pounds.
Although steppe polecats do not have the foul-smelling secretions that skunks identify with, they do have a musky odor that some people find unpleasant.
Scientific Name Mustela erminea Species of North American, European, and Asian Mammals
Like stoats like skunks.
They are black and white in color, but their stripes are more distinct and their bodies are long and slender.
However, one of the main ways to distinguish these two animals is their tail.
Although skunks have thick tails, the tails of mice are much thinner.
Also, stoats are smaller than skunks and their fur is coarser.
Scientific Name: Ictonyx striatus Species: Sub-Saharan Africa
The striped polecat is a type of mustelid found in Africa.
These animals have black and white stripes running down their bodies, like skunks.
However, unlike skunks, striped polecats do not produce foul-smelling saliva.
Sunda Stink Badger
Sunda Stink Badger
The Sunda badger (Melogale parvula) is a species of mustelid native to Southeast Asia.
Despite its name, it is not close to the American or European badgers.
It gets its name from the fact that it produces a foul-smelling sap when threatened, just like skunks.
The Sunda badger is a small animal, only growing to about 20 inches in length.
He has a black jacket with white stripes running down his back.
Scientific Name Mustela Species Mammal Range Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and New Mexico
Skunks are often confused because of their similar bodies and colors.
However, weasels do not have the ability to poison their prey with poisonous water.
These slender mammals are hunters, preying on small animals such as rodents and birds.
Weasels can be found in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Scientific Name Gulo gulo Species of Canadian and Alaskan Wildlife
Another skunk-like animal is the wolverine (Gulo gulo).
Both animals are furry with black and white stripes running down their backs.
However, if you look closely, you will notice that the wolverine cars are more of an iconic design and their whole body is different.
Wolverines are larger than skunks, weighing around 30 pounds.
Scientific Name Ictonyx striatus Species Species Native to the African continent
Zorrilla are small, brown-black animals with stripes running down their backs.
It is found in South America and is related to skunks.
Like skunks, they can release a foul-smelling liquid from their anal glands when threatened.
There are many animals in the world like skunks.
Some of these include otters, badgers, weasels, martens, and wolverines.
Although they may not spray a scent to ward off predators or enemies, they still have a special feature that looks similar to skunks.
Living in South Africa I had the pleasure of seeing many of these animals up close and personal.