Experiment
Below is a picture of a great horned owl
Abstract: I would like to emphasize the importance of a skunk's foul-smelling spray. The skunk spray is an effective weapon in warding off predators, but also allows the skunk to stay in power. Few animals ever forget the odor. That "odor memory" helps the small mammal avoid contact with predators. Most animals remember the sight and smell and avoid the skunk. Animals such as the great horned owl do not have the sense of smell. These large owls a more than capable of killing a large skunk due to the fact that they are one of the few predators that can tolerate the spray of the skunk.
Hypothesis: The (striped) skunk population would decrease if the skunk did not have the ability to fend off their predators.
Material List:
Procedure
1. The first step would be to gather a population of skunks, particulary the same type
2. Record the population of the skunks before you begin the experiment
3. The second step is to visit a veterinarian to emit the scent glands from the skunks
4. The third step is to gather a population of the skunks predators
5.The last step is to record the population after the skunks' scent was emitted
Material List:
- mercaptan-emitting scent glands (veterinarian)
- a population of skunks to carry out the experiment
- Predators
Procedure
1. The first step would be to gather a population of skunks, particulary the same type
2. Record the population of the skunks before you begin the experiment
3. The second step is to visit a veterinarian to emit the scent glands from the skunks
4. The third step is to gather a population of the skunks predators
5.The last step is to record the population after the skunks' scent was emitted