As a former amateur gymnast, I know a good handstand when I see one. That’s why I can say with full confidence that no creature on God’s green earth can perform a handstand with quite as much gumption or grace as the spotted skunk. That’s right, a skunk. Ten out of ten, every time. The pint-size mammal, which weighs between one and two pounds—about half that of its more commonly known striped relative—gets its name for its characteristic white spots. Texas is home to two of these acrobatic species. The plains spotted skunk is found in East Texas and the Panhandle, and the Western (or desert) spotted skunk roams West Texas, South Texas, and the fringes of Central Texas. Both have evolved a dazzling defense mechanism:…
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