Conepatus chinga
Molina's hog-nosed skunk

Conepatus chinga is found in mid to southern South America. Its range includes Chile, Peru, northern Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil (Grzimek, 1990). Its range overlaps that of the other closely related Hog-nosed skunk such as Conepatus humboldti and Conepatus semistriatus.

Conepatus chinga prefers the open vegetation areas offered by canyons and steppes while foraging or traveling. During rest periods, it perfers the seclusion offered by shrub forests and rocky slope areas (Donadio et all, 2001).

Conepatus chinga is medium sized, weighing approximately 2.3 to 4.5 kg, and measuring anywhere from 460 to 900 mm long from nose to tail. It has characteristic skunk coloring with generally black fur and 2 white stripes running from the top of the head down the sides of the body to a mostly white tail. It lacks the white stripe down the middle of its face that is common in Mephitis mephitis. Conepatus chinga also has a distintive nose, which is fairly broad and fleshy much like its common name suggests (Walker 1991).

Conepatus chinga also posseses a powerful anal scent gland common to the skunk family that is used defensively as a spray.

Though solitary during the year, males wander in search of mature females in during the breeding season in late February and early March. Very little is known as to the specifics of the mating rituals (Grzimek 1990).

The breedings season for C. chinga is generally in late February. Solitary for most of the year, mature males seek females for mating during this time. Females generally are impregnated by March and give birth to litters of 2 to 5 in late April or early May. Gestation period is approximately 2 months. The young are sexually mature at 10 to 12 months of age (Walker 1991).

Females are the sole caretakers of the young. The young are weaned generally in 8-10 weeks and are foraging on their own by August. Soon after they will leave the mother in search of their own territories (Walker 1991).

Much is unknown about the lifespan of Conepatus chinga, but recent studies have shed the light on its duration. It is thought to live approximately 4 to 6 years in the wild. A captive Conepatus mesoleucus lived 8 years and 8 months in captivitiy. (Walker 1991)

Conepatus chinga is a solitary animal that only comes together with others during mating times. At all other times during the year, it restricts itself to its territory. It is also nocturnal, and forages during the night for its favorite foods-insects. During the day, they rest in rocky dens. During cold winters, C. chinga is believed to sleep in its dens in a type of hibernation much like Mephitis mephitis. However, on warmer winter days, they leave the dens in search of food (Donadio et al 2001).

Conepatus chinga is an omnivore, foraging mainly at night. It uses its fleshy long nose and claws to dig in the soil searching for its favorite food, beetles and spiders. It will also dine on other foods, such as small mammals, eggs, fledgling birds, vegetation or fruit. During the summer, it feeds quite heavily on insects, but in the winter, it will eat a wide variety of other foods because of the lack of insects (Travaini et al., 1998).

Conepatus chinga possesses one of the most familiar anti-predator adaptations, using its anal scent glands to spray a foul smelling liquid on potential predators (Walker 1991). Another adaptation is their resistance to pitviper venom. This aids them in protection from the vipers who may be hunting them (Walker 1991).

Conepatus chinga is an uncommon medium sized carnivore in its range. It provides a source of food for animals such as snakes and other larger predators, although due to its defensive spray, predators tend to avoid it. As an omnivore, it eats a wide range of foods (Walker 1991).

Conepatus chinga aids local farmers by eating small mammals and insects that may hurt their crops. Additionally, its fur is used in the fur trade (Walker 1991).

The remote location of its range has prevented too much contact with humans in a negative sense, but C. chinga is known to carry diseases such as rabies and Trypanosoma cruzi (Pietrokovsky et al, 1991).

Information concerning the status of C. chinga is lacking, but it is considered uncommon. One subspecies, C. chinga rex, is rare due to hunting for its pelt. More studies are needed to effectively determine the status of this animal (Walker 1991).