Spilogale gracilis latifrons [Grinnell], Dixon and Linsdale, Fur-bearing Mamm. California, Univ. California Press, Berkeley, p. 301, July 22, 1937.
Type.—Obtained at Roseburg, Douglas County, Oregon, by T. S. Palmer on July 13, 1889; type in United States National Museum.
Racial characters.—Larger than saxatilis with less extensive white markings, especially on tail, but white markings on head larger; white usually tinged with salmon or pale orange.
Measurements.—Means for four males, from Pacific County, are total length 411; length of tail 136; hind foot 47.5; ear 27. One weighed 784 grams.
Distribution.—Western Washington from the western edge of the Cascades westward. Marginal records, given by [Taylor] and [Shaw] (1929: 12) are Hamilton, on the north; Lake Keechelus, on the east; and Carson, on the south.
Remarks.—Comparison of adult specimens of civet cats from western Washington and western Oregon shows no reliable character for recognition of two races. No difference in tail length exists. Narrowness of rostrum was the only diagnostic character found by [Howell] (1906: 34) to separate latifrons and olympica. We have carefully compared civet cats from western Oregon, southwestern Washington and the area about Seattle. Some local variation exists but overlapping is great and specimens from Washington do not have rostra that average narrower than specimens from Oregon.
Mephitis mephitis (Schreber)
Striped skunk
Description.—The striped skunk is a heavy-bodied animal about the size of a house cat. The legs are of moderate length and stout and the hind feet are large. The claws of the forefeet are long, strong and curved. The head is small and pointed, with small eyes and ears. The tail is long, nearly equal in length to the head and body. The fur is long, soft and shiny, and is jet black with sharply contrasting white markings. These consist of a narrow stripe on the forehead, a broad band on the neck that diverges into two stripes on the back. The two lateral stripes fuse on the rump. The tail has long black hairs some of which are white at the base.
Striped skunks range over North America from central Canada southward to southern Mexico. Two species are recognized by [Hall] (1936: 64), namely mephitis and macroura. The latter species is found in Mexico and parts of the southwestern United States.