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American hog-nosed skunk

Conepatus leuconotus · Furbearers

American hog-nosed skunk (Conepatus leuconotus): Single white stripe from the top of the head, wedge-shaped at the start, to the tail tip; some northwestern animals have more white. Large naked snout resembling a hog's; small eyes and nose relative to the snout. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

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Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

American hog-nosed skunk — verified North Ground species photograph
North Ground · All rights reserved
Scientific name
Conepatus leuconotus
Family
Mephitidae
In North America
Native
Range
Southwestern US south to northern Nicaragua. In the US: southeastern Colorado, extreme northwestern Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas.
Biology

How to identify it

Single white stripe from the top of the head, wedge-shaped at the start, to the tail tip; some northwestern animals have more white. [1][2]

Large naked snout resembling a hog's; small eyes and nose relative to the snout. [1][2]

Short coarse fur; tail mostly white above. [1][2]

Stocky legs; front claws larger for digging. [1][2]

Males average about 577 mm total length, females about 542 mm. [1][2]

Field knowledge

Where it lives

Woodlands, grasslands, deserts, brushy areas and rocky canyons; most common in very rocky mountainous terrain. [1][2]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Mostly nocturnal, sometimes active by day especially in winter; active year round [1][2]

Feeds mainly on insects, especially larvae; digs and roots with snout and long claws, overturning rocks and logs [1][2]

Dens in rock crevices, hollow logs, burrows, caves, mine shafts, woodrat houses or under buildings [1][2]

Regulatory handoff

Take status not established

North Ground has not established meaningful legal take of this species. That is a gap in the evidence, not a finding that it is protected or that it is open.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Southwestern US south to northern Nicaragua. In the US: southeastern Colorado, extreme northwestern Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico and western Texas.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology · reviewed 2026-09-30

    University of Michigan Museum of Zoology