If it looks like a skunk and smells like a skunk, it must be a skunk-except in Africa. There they call this small mammal zorilla. Like the skunk, it has strong jaws that make short work of prey. This creature survives on one of the most dangerous continents in the world by being a real stinker. It can spray chemicals from its rear that force even lions and hyenas to retreat.
Stand Out: Unlike many small animals, the zorilla doesn't camouflage itself from predators. This animal's black and white coat makes it stand out while it rests during the day-a warning to enemies that there's trouble in store.
Death Dance: The zorilla's jaws are small, but inside there is a set of sharp teeth, including long, pointed canine teeth. This agile animal circles around its prey before moving in for the kill, which it makes with a single bite.
Zapped by Zorilla[]
The zorilla takes its time to feed after a kill; few predators dare to attack this creature while it's eating.
The zorilla is a near twin to North American skunks, and has a similar technique for warding off predators. When an enemy approaches, the zorilla lifts its tail. Any creature that has dealt with one before will back off, but a first-time predator that presses on is treated to a squirt in the face. The zorilla's anal glands produce a fluid that smells like a combination of sulfur, rotten eggs and old garbage. The creature can shoot this spray as far as 13 feet away, striking a predator in the face and making it so sick it's likely to vomit.
Farm Aid: African farmers often welcome zorillas onto their land, as the mammals rid the area of rats and other harmful rodents. In return, however, the zorillas might snatch a few of a farmer's chickens.
Night Shift: To escape the heat of the African sun, the zorilla hunts at night and rests during the day. The creature's small, sharp claws allow it to dig shallow burrows in the soil so it can sleep safely.
Snake Shake[]
- At dawn, just before it goes to bed, a zorilla picks up the trail of a reptile with its keen sense of smell. Following and finding a snake, many creatures would back away, but not this one.
- The zorilla pounces, grabbing the snake's tail in its sharp teeth. The snake, thinking the zorilla made a mistake, strikes out at the mammal with its deadly fangs primed and ready.
- To the snake's surprise, the zorilla easily dodges the strike, then quickly grabs the snake's neck in its jaws. The zorilla shakes its prey violently to rip it apart before beginning to eat.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The knowledge card shares the main illustration on the back, the zorilla feasting on the rodent, and the "Snake Shake" illustrations between the Wildlife Explorers. The latter, titled "Prize Fighter", has a fourth image of the zorilla feeding on the incapacitated snake.