[5] As with other related species, western spotted skunks possess a pair of large musk glands that open just inside the anus, and which can spray their contents through muscular action.

In contrast, members of the species that live in areas such as eastern Oregon or northern Mexico can often be found near cliffs and canyons.

[11] When threatened, western spotted skunks display threat behavior, stamping their fore-feet before raising their hind parts in the air and showing their conspicuous warning coloration.

[7] Western spotted skunks typically mate in September when females come into heat, although both sexes remain fertile for several months thereafter if they fail to breed early.

[14][5] After fertilization, the embryo develops to the blastocyst stage, but then becomes dormant for several months before implanting in the uterine wall around April.

[17] The western spotted skunk was first described by Clinton Hart Merriam in 1890;[18] its specific name, gracilis, is derived from the Latin for "slender".

[19][14] There are currently seven recognized subspecies of S. gracilis that are indigenous to the western United States and northern Mexico, which were discovered in the late 1800s and early 1900s by biologists Merriam and Elliot.

[20] The different subspecies reside in select locations within the western spotted skunk territory and therefore are acclimated to specific climates and niches in these areas.

[citation needed] S. gracilis can cause problems in rural areas, as it will make dens on private property and in the attics of homes, and has a tendency to steal eggs from farmers.

[10] The western spotted skunk is one of many species that are opportunistic within the expansion of human civilization, and remains neither endangered nor threatened.