Skunk imposter squirrels

[Stripey]

I remember a while back someone said they saw a black squirrel with a white
stripe, that was a dead ringer for a tiny tree climbing skunk.
In a friend's Audubon book, this sounds like a Kaibab squirrel (as opposed to
a squirrel-kabob). They are black with a smaller white stripe and range in
the states of New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado. I wonder if they are like
the Viceroy butterflies, and evolved their colors for protection, because
animals avoid skunks after the first encounter?
-Tom

[Chris Baird]

In article <May.17.10.49....@pegasus.rutgers.edu>

sk...@pegasus.rutgers.edu (Stripey) writes:
> I remember a while back someone said they saw a black squirrel with a white
> stripe, that was a dead ringer for a tiny tree climbing skunk.

Visit the northern coastal scrubs and mountain rainforests of
Australia and you might find an arboreal Mursupial imposter--the
Striped Possum (Dactlyopsila trivirgata)...

Besides the heavy black-and-white stripes of a skunk, it's also
capable of emitting a v.strong and irritating musky odour. (No
idea where from, but my guess is from glands on the chest, similar
to the Brushtail Possum.)

> I wonder if they are like the Viceroy butterflies, and evolved their colors
> for protection, because animals avoid skunks after the first encounter?

I'd sure like to know how this appeared in an Australian critter!
Can anyone forward an idea why white stripes on black might be
anyway special?

--
Chris Baird,, <c892...@cs.newcastle.edu.au>