The video will start in 8 Cancel

Want the best Coventry and Warwickshire news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up here! Sign up here! Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A wild skunk could be set to cause a stink in Coventry after one of the striped creatures appears to have been spotted on the streets of the city.

The animal was snapped by a gob-smacked passer-by as it skulked down Wyken Croft in the city shortly before midnight on Saturday.

How a skunk would have ended up in the city is a mystery as the animals are naturally found in America, the Philippines and Indonesia.

Skunks are known for spraying a strong smelling liquid from their back passage as a defence from predators.

The driver who filmed the animal told the Telegraph: “I was on my way home at around 11.45pm and as I was driving down Wyken Croft I noticed what I thought was a cat walking along the pavement but when I looked again I realised it was a skunk!

“So I stopped my car and reversed back to take some photos because I thought no one would believe me if I told them.

“The area is always full of wild animals, I often have foxes and hedgehogs in my back garden, but I’ve definitely never seen a skunk before!”

Occurrences of skunks being spotted in the UK are extremely rare. It thought those that are seen in the wild would have been pets that have escaped from owners or been abandoned.

Skunk trivia

The animal uses its anal scent gland as a defensive weapon.

Skunks are native to the Philippines, Indonesia, North America and South America.

The animal will change its diet according to the time of year.

Skunks will eat plants and meat including insects, worms, small rodents, lizards, frogs, snakes, birds, moles and eggs as well as leaves, berries, roots and fungi.

Skunks hibernate during winter.

Skunks tend to hide underground during the day in burrows dug with their strong front claws. They will also shelter in other man-made holes, such as under sheds.

Mother skunks are very protective of her babies and will spray if they feel threatened danger.

Male skunks are bad dads. They play no part in raising the young and sometimes kill them.

Skunks can grow up to almost one-metre in length.

The animals can weigh over 8.2kg.