It is conspicuously coloured in black and white and resembles the western spotted skunk in appearance.

It has anal glands beneath the tail which secrete musk which can be sprayed with considerable accuracy at a predator.

[4] The southern spotted skunk is native to Central America where its range includes Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Belize.

It climbs trees but mainly searches for food on the ground for the small mammals, insects, birds, eggs, grain and fruit on which it feeds.

[2] The chief threats faced by the southern spotted skunk are human activities such as road construction, wildfires and agricultural monoculture.