At the MPG Ranch, a watchful eye on the wild. Spotted Skunk caught on camera – first in the Bitterroot Valley in more than 20 years.

Late last year, Alan Ramsey was combing through videos taken at night by one of his remote cameras on the MPG Ranch http://mpgranch.com/ , east of Florence, when he saw a skunk. It was small and spotted, with a wispy white-tipped tail–conspicuously different from the common striped skunk. Ramsey checked a field guide and realized he had captured a western spotted skunk, Spilogale gracilis, which is seldom observed in the region. The Montana Natural Heritage Program has recorded only 19 other sightings of the skunk in the state, where it’s classified as a "species of concern." Ramsey’s was the first in the Bitterroot Valley in more than 20 years.

by Matthew Frank

Full Story: http://missoulanews.bigskypress.com/IndyBlog/archives/2012/05/01/at-the-mpg-ranch-south-of-missoula-a-watchful-eye-on-the-wild