All are characterized by comparatively short hair, especially on the tail, and this appendage lacks the plumelike appearance observed in other skunks.

The nose is prolonged into a distinct "snout", naked on the top and sides and evidently used for rooting in the earth after the manner of a pig as their name implies.

The extent of the stripe on the hind of the skunk, and the color of the tail underside suggests a distinction between eastern and western species.

The hair on these skunks is coarse and harsh, lacking the qualities which render the coats of their northern relatives so valuable.

[6] The anal sac secretion of the hog-nosed skunk, Conepatus mesoleucus, had two major volatile components, (E)-2-butene-1-thiol and (E)-S-2-butenyl thioacetate.

They live along the bottom-lands of watercourses, where vegetation is abundant and the supply of food most plentiful, or in canyons and on rocky mountain slopes.

Owing to their strictly nocturnal habits, they are generally much less frequently seen than the common skunks, even in localities where they are numerous.

This article incorporates text from the publication Wild Animals of North America, copyright 1918 by the National Geographic Society.