This video was captured on a National Park camera and features this spotted skunk showcasing some seriously unconventional dance moves.
Watch the video:
Dance like no one is watching....
— National Park Service (@NatlParkService) October 4, 2019
Did you know spotted skunks will sometimes go into a handstand and move around in an attempt to intimidate any would be aggressors... like this wildlife camera at @SaguaroNPS?#FridayFeeling #FindYourPark
📽️: Skunk dancing the night away. 💃🕺 pic.twitter.com/9QPLl0FwSA
From Western Journal:
“It’s obviously a skunk doing a moving handstand. You were thinking it was some sort of mask with feathers? One of our favorite wildlife captures, this spotted skunk dances like no one’s watching…even when we are. Why the fancy footwork and big skunk energy (smell)? Because it can. Also, you’re too close and it has given you multiple cues to go away. Awkward,” the NPS wrote.
“The spotted skunk is usually polite enough to give a warning before breaking into dance. They stamp their front feet, raise their tail, and hiss. (Like you before every video call.) If they’re particularly annoyed (this call could be an email), that’s when they stand upright on their forelimbs and perform the unusual hand-stand dance. Same. Well, one time,” the post said.
“If the dancing handstand fails to intimidate (wow, nothing?), they will resort to the real room clearers: a pair of scent glands out back that spray a foul-smelling musk. If a local toot squirrel does approach you, calmly turn around and walk away. Avoid doing anything else that could be considered threatening,” it wrote.
The big question here is: what kind of animal would actually be intimidated by this scene? Honestly, if I were any predatory species and stumbled upon a skunk performing this maneuver, I'd have to laugh, or whatever the animal equivalent of laughter is.
It's probably best for skunks to stick to their day job and just emit that famous stench they're so well-known for.
