Hog-nosed skunks belong to the Conepatus genus of skunks. These skunks have a broad white stripe running down the dorsal area; the stripe runs from the head to the base of the tail. Some skunks have black hairs in the white fur, but hog-nosed skunks' tails have completely white fur. The remainder of the hog-nosed skunk's body -- face, sides and belly -- is solid black. Hog-nosed skunks have upturned snouts, making them resemble pigs. Four hog-nosed skunks are in the Conepatus genus: American hog-nosed, or common hog-nosed, Humboldt hog-nosed, Molina's hog-nosed and striped hog-nosed.
Native to North America, striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) have white fur stretching across their back; the white fur forms a triangular pattern from the top of the skunk's head to the base of its tail. A large black stripe is in the center of the skunk's white fur; the black stripe starts at the skunk's neck and stops at the tail. Striped skunks have a mixture of black and white fur on their tails. These skunks live throughout the United States and Canada.
Hooded skunks (Mephitis macroura) have two types of fur color patterns. Some hooded skunks have a solid white stripe running from head to tail; these hooded skunks' tails have a combination of black and white fur. Other hooded skunks have two thin white stripes on the left and right sides of their bodies and tails. Hooded skunks are close relatives of striped skunks; both species are in the Mephitis genus. Hooded skunks live in the desert environments of the southwestern United States and Mexico.
As their names suggest, spotted skunks have black fur with white fur spots all over their bodies. Each spotted skunk species has variations on their fur patterns. Western and southern spotted skunks have more white fur on their tails than eastern spotted skunks. Pygmy spotted skunks have three of four solid lines running down their body, in spite of their names. In terms of size, spotted skunks are the smallest in the Mephitidae family. Western and eastern spotted skunks live in the United States, while southern and pygmy spotted skunks are native to Mexico.