Why do skunks stink?

Brains On! Science podcast for kids

Lemonada Media

Kids & Family, Education For Kids

4.5 • 14.7K Ratings

🗓️ 6 January 2026

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Skunks can stink, no doubt about it. But that stink is actually a superpower! Join Molly and co-host Diya as they find out how these critters use their smell to scare away enemies, what the smell is made of, and how to make your own de-skunking potion. Plus, Wombat Pete drops by to promote his new music festival, we speak to some skunk experts, and we try our best to guess a new Mystery Sound. Don't forget the de-skunking potion mnemonic: 4 Cats Had Problems Queen Coughed Beside Suzie's Tenth Lasagna, Don't Sneeze Translation: 4 Cups hydrogen peroxide Quarter Cup baking soda Teaspoon Liquid Dish Soap Guest: Marie Tosa, Research Scientist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Guest: Ted Stankowich, Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and CSU Long Beach. Want to support Brains On and all of the shows in the Brains On Universe? Sign up for Smarty Pass. You'll get ad-free episodes of all our shows, bonus content, virtual hangouts, discounts on merch and more! Click here for a transcript of this episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Lemonada.
0:07.4	Brains-on Universe.
0:11.4	You're listening to Brains-On, where we're serious about being curious.
0:16.8	Ask someone to tell you about skunks.
0:19.1	What's the first thing you think they'll say?
0:21.1	Oh, I know what they're going to say.
0:23.3	Me too.
0:24.4	Should we see if we're thinking the same thing?
0:27.4	On the count of three.
0:29.0	One, two, three.
0:31.7	They'd be really good at mini golf.
0:34.1	Did you just say they'd be really good at mini golf?
0:37.4	Yeah, that's not the first thing you thought?
0:41.1	No. Skunks aren't always stinky. In fact, most of the time, they smell fine, but they can whip up a
0:48.5	powerful stench when they need to protect themselves. Ah, yes, your answer is better. Their odor is pretty powerful. So if you smell skunk, it means a skunk
0:58.7	near you was spooked. If they get nervous, they can sort of release like a little fart, like a little
1:03.6	waft of odor. That's skunk expert Ted Stankowich. We'll hear more from him soon. And we'll
1:10.4	learn more about these striped and only
1:12.4	sometimes stinky critters. Stay tuned. Imagine you're on a desert island. What's something you
1:23.1	definitely want with you? A fire starting kit? No, a palette of canned soup with easy open lids.
1:29.2	Wait, actually, a satellite phone to call for help. Oh, okay. Yes, and you might want your
1:35.8	Smarty Pass. Sure, it can't start a fire or feed your belly, but with Smarty Pass, you can get
	...

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