# Anthro skunk glands



## Heliophobic (Oct 21, 2011)

Hokay, this has been bugging me for a while. Don't take this thread too seriously. It's simply for the sake of discussion.

In a world with anthropomorphic inhabitants, a skunk anthro's odor could lead to discrimination throughout society. Hypothetically speaking, would an anthropomorphic skunk have their spray glands incised at birth so they wouldn't smell unpleasant in public? Would it be a procedure as common ( and unethical in some people's opinions ("HURR DURR MUTILATION")) as circumcision? I mean, people with pet skunks do this to them. And what post-birth procedures would they do for other species?

Discuss.

*Temporary edit*: Shit, I thought I posted this in the fursonas section.


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## Unsilenced (Oct 21, 2011)

I don't think it would be as bad as you think. While skunks do smell some even when they haven't sprayed, so do most animals. Sitting next to one on the bus wouldn't be that much worse than a large, shaggy dog on a rainy day.


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## Fay V (Oct 21, 2011)

Ferrets and otters would be discriminated against way more than skunks if this were the case.


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## Tycho (Oct 21, 2011)

why would there be glands

the body would be ostensibly human-like barring the tail and minor details like fur

look at drawings, that is a human body with fur and a tail, and I rather like it that way

as for the smell of wet fur, who knows



Fay V said:


> Ferrets and otters would be discriminated against way more than skunks if this were the case.



imagine if a dog anthro got blocked/inflamed anal glands, laff-a-minute.  assdragging all over the place


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## Volkodav (Oct 21, 2011)

No. Skunks aren't the only animal with foul scent glands, either.
Mustelids, foxes, dogs and cats all have very bad smelling anal glands. I think the furry world would smell so much that skunks wouldn't be an issue


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## Zenia (Oct 21, 2011)

If I were an anthro with strong scent glands, I'd want them removed. XD


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## Tiger In A Tie (Oct 21, 2011)

Male sugar gliders develop bald spots and scent glands, as well.


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## anero (Oct 21, 2011)

it's someone's fetish


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## WingDog (Oct 21, 2011)

I imagine the furry universe smelling like the zoo.


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## Seas (Oct 21, 2011)

WingDog said:


> I imagine the furry universe smelling like the zoo.



On the other hand, the inhabitants would be probably more tolerant of the smells than our average modern 1st world human citizen.

But mostly because they would have got used to living beside such smelling creatures throughout history.

Which brings me to an answer to a question in the OP: I don't think post-birth surgeries would be necessary nor ethical.


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## M. LeRenard (Oct 21, 2011)

I guess since the skunk's smell is a defense mechanism (when you smell a skunk, if you're most species on the planet, you pretty much know to stay away), I would assume most species would find the smell offensive, and so it would become probably a social necessity for the gland to be removed.  So I imagine in some cultures, it would be removed, sure.


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## Unsilenced (Oct 21, 2011)

M. Le Renard said:


> I guess since the skunk's smell is a defense mechanism (when you smell a skunk, if you're most species on the planet, you pretty much know to stay away), I would assume most species would find the smell offensive, and so it would become probably a social necessity for the gland to be removed.  So I imagine in some cultures, it would be removed, sure.


 A lot of animals produce some sort of smell that other species don't like. Skunks just have the ability to launch theirs. Provided they don't do that though, there are probably worse smells in a "furry" society.


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## Zenia (Oct 21, 2011)

Regular sharts are bad enough... imagine if a skunk had an accident. XDD


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## Stratelier (Oct 21, 2011)

The larger question behind a skunk's odor is whether or not their odiferous shots are separate from their normal urine.  While Wikipedia is rather quiet on the matter (noting only that the average skunk is a six-shooter and requires about a week to reload), a few other sites point out that the two are clearly different.

Also, Seas is correct:  Noses have a funny tendency to get desensitized to certain smells via constant exposure.


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## Heliophobic (Oct 21, 2011)

Zenia said:


> Regular sharts are bad enough... imagine if a skunk had an accident. XDD



I'm fairly sure skunks have a great amount of control over these glands. I'm not familiar with a skunk having an "accident". :n




WingDog said:


> I imagine the furry universe smelling like the zoo.


I imagine them using soap and other human cleaning substances. I mean... I'm sure homo sapiens smelled like ass at the beginning of the species. Now we're all hygienic n shit.




anero said:


> it's someone's fetish



Yes, I am very well aware of this.


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## Volkodav (Oct 21, 2011)

Zenia said:


> Regular sharts are bad enough... imagine if a skunk had an accident. XDD


ive never had a shart
you have a loose asshole



Sollux said:


> I'm fairly sure skunks have a great amount of control over these glands. I'm not familiar with a skunk having an "accident". :n


 
They do, they can direct their scent glands to shoot wherever they want. They can even shoot you while facing you.


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## Zenia (Oct 21, 2011)

Clayton said:


> ive never had a shart
> you have a loose asshole


lol I have never had one either... but I know that it happens to some people sometimes. (Loose assholes... so gay guys have them more than anyone else? Who knows!)



Sollux said:


> I'm fairly sure skunks have a great amount of control over these glands. I'm not familiar with a skunk having an "accident". :n


Skunks may, but anthros would be a hybridization of humans and skunks... and who knows what would go on there.


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## Unsilenced (Oct 21, 2011)

Stratadrake said:


> The larger question behind a skunk's odor is whether or not their odiferous shots are separate from their normal urine.  While Wikipedia is rather quiet on the matter (noting only that the average skunk is a six-shooter and requires about a week to reload), a few other sites point out that the two are clearly different.
> 
> Also, Seas is correct:  Noses have a funny tendency to get desensitized to certain smells via constant exposure.



...

It'd be kind of hard to remove if it were urine...


Also: Skunks aren't actually that prone to using their defense. It might not be the best idea to walk up behind one with a paper lunch bag but other than that...


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## TreacleFox (Oct 21, 2011)

I have a can of fox pheromone somewhere. :U


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## Volkodav (Oct 21, 2011)

Zenia said:


> lol I have never had one either... but I know that it happens to some people sometimes. (Loose assholes... so gay guys have them more than anyone else? Who knows!)
> 
> Skunks may, but anthros would be a hybridization of humans and skunks... and who knows what would go on there.


Maybe. But I wouldn't know because I don't receive and I only fuck virgins.



TreacleFox said:


> I have a can of fox pheromone somewhere. :U


 Disgusting
I bet your room smells like shit.


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## DarrylWolf (Oct 21, 2011)

A world of anthropomorphic animals would absolutely reek to us humans and to those with heightened senses of smell, it would be absolutely unbearable.


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## TreacleFox (Oct 21, 2011)

Clayton said:


> Disgusting
> I bet your room smells like shit.



It does, but for an unrelated reason. :V
Its a cuboard somewhere, im not sure where though. :I


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## Heliophobic (Oct 22, 2011)

DarrylWolf said:


> A world of anthropomorphic animals would absolutely reek to us humans and to those with heightened senses of smell, it would be absolutely unbearable.


Please refer to



> I imagine them using soap and other human cleaning substances. I mean... I'm sure homo sapiens smelled like ass at the beginning of the species. Now we're all hygienic n shit.


and then we can explain this bullshit.


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## Tycho (Oct 22, 2011)

Unsilenced said:


> ...
> 
> It'd be kind of hard to remove if it were urine...
> 
> ...



Depends on the skunk.  Spotted skunks are a bit quicker on the trigger (and more ornery in general) than striped skunks.  Most of them give you plenty of warning - handstands, hissing, drumming on the ground with their paws.  The only times I have ever been subjected to the stink were when a motorist clobbered some poor unlucky fool of a skunk on a roadway.


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## OfficerBadger (Oct 22, 2011)

The fuck is wrong with me. I read the topic several times as "Anthro _shark_ glands" and the first mention of skunk as shark in the op.

Anyway, my thought is the same as those saying the odor of anthros in general would desensitize them. Or prehaps they wouldn't have them to begin with if your anthros are furry humans with animal heads. And it would be unethical to remove the glands, but unethical ignorant treatments has never stopped medical procedures before.


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## DarrylWolf (Oct 22, 2011)

Sollux said:


> Please refer to
> 
> 
> and then we can explain this bullshit.



Animals do smell worse than humans. Go into a stable of horses and go into an apartment- it should take no time to figure out which one smells worse.


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## Tycho (Oct 22, 2011)

DarrylWolf said:


> Animals do smell worse than humans. Go into a stable of horses and go into an apartment- it should take no time to figure out which one smells worse.



1. So, what do you suppose animals think of human smells? You're being subjective.
2. I have smelled human beings who smelled far worse than some domestic animals ever dared dream of being.  I'm not joking when I say that I can muck stalls without batting an eye and yet a pit toilet on a hot day makes me retch.  Aside from the bodily-waste smells, the variation of body-smells in humans is amazing and sometimes disgusting.  I'm familiar with goat-smell and dog-smell and cat-smell (tom spray, ugh) and others and have smelled them at their worst.  Stacked up against some of the worst body-smells of humans... that's a tough fight for the animal-smells.  I find some B.O. to be absolutely repulsive (it's a body chemistry thing and can vary from person to person) and some people's breath could peel paint like a dog's never could.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other.  Animals have the bonus of not being insufferable shitheads for company more often than humans.


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## DarrylWolf (Oct 22, 2011)

Tycho said:


> 1. So, what do you suppose animals think of human smells? You're being subjective.
> 2. I have smelled human beings who smelled far worse than some domestic animals ever dared dream of being.  I'm not joking when I say that I can muck stalls without batting an eye and yet a pit toilet on a hot day makes me retch.  Aside from the bodily-waste smells, the variation of body-smells in humans is amazing and sometimes disgusting.  I'm familiar with goat-smell and dog-smell and cat-smell (tom spray, ugh) and others and have smelled them at their worst.  Stacked up against some of the worst body-smells of humans... that's a tough fight for the animal-smells.  I find some B.O. to be absolutely repulsive (it's a body chemistry thing and can vary from person to person) and some people's breath could peel paint like a dog's never could.
> 
> Six of one, half a dozen of the other.  Animals have the bonus of not being insufferable shitheads for company more often than humans.



1.) We'll never truly know but scientists believe that many animals can smell a human, insect repellent is based off of giving our bodies a smell that insects don't like.

2.) I lived with an un-housebroken beagle and a baby brother who was one year old at the same time. Over time, I could tell when the beagle had an accident and when my infant brother had an accident as the dog poop smelled worse. It's based on that I can say pretty confidently that animals are much smellier than humans. Plus, you can bathe a human and get the smell out rather easily with some soap and water- often using general soap (not the kind you get at veterinarian's offices) and water only makes your pet smell that much worse.


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## Sar (Oct 22, 2011)

I dont think it would be that much of an issue in the anthro world. 
Yes, it would smell like a zoo but you would be used to it.



TreacleFox said:


> I have a can of fox pheromone somewhere. :U


Didnt need to know that, TYVM.


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## Volkodav (Oct 22, 2011)

DarrylWolf said:


> 1.) We'll never truly know but scientists believe that many animals can smell a human, insect repellent is based off of giving our bodies a smell that insects don't like.
> 
> 2.) I lived with an un-housebroken beagle and a baby brother who was one year old at the same time. Over time, I could tell when the beagle had an accident and when my infant brother had an accident as the dog poop smelled worse. It's based on that I can say pretty confidently that animals are much smellier than humans. Plus, you can bathe a human and get the smell out rather easily with some soap and water- often using general soap (not the kind you get at veterinarian's offices) and water only makes your pet smell that much worse.



Pretty much this.
Dogs have extremely bad smelling anal glands, and if you take your dog in to be groomed, these anal glands have to be expressed and this gross, slimy brown stuff comes out.

Plus, dogs smell bad when wet


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## Seaglass (Oct 22, 2011)

>.> Dear god, I'm so glad I don't have a dog sometimes.
Back to skunks, I don't think taking away their defense system without consent would be very humane. Just my opinion though :V


Clayton said:


> Pretty much this.
> Dogs have extremely bad smelling anal glands, and if you take your dog in to be groomed, these anal glands have to be expressed and this gross, slimy brown stuff comes out.
> 
> Plus, dogs smell bad when wet


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## Volkodav (Oct 22, 2011)

Seaglass said:


> >.> Dear god, I'm so glad I don't have a dog sometimes.
> Back to skunks, I don't think taking away their defense system without consent would be very humane. Just my opinion though :V


i dont think a skunk would need scent glands as a for of defense if he were an anthro
humans get along fine without whipping shit & piss at each other


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## Seaglass (Oct 22, 2011)

Clayton said:


> i dont think a skunk would need scent glands as a for of defense if he were an anthro
> humans get along fine without whipping shit & piss at each other


Well... That's true. It would come in handy in a rape-or-murder situation, though. Kinda like mace XD


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## Volkodav (Oct 22, 2011)

Seaglass said:


> Well... That's true. It would come in handy in a rape-or-murder situation, though. Kinda like mace XD


Nobody would be able t have anal sex in the furry world because it would smell too bad/


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## Stratelier (Oct 22, 2011)

Tycho said:


> The only times I have ever been subjected to the stink were when a motorist clobbered some poor unlucky fool of a skunk on a roadway.


Oh, that.  Skunks have no long-range vision -- their eyes can only focus about as far as they spray, everything beyond that is an incomprehensible blur.


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## Ad Hoc (Oct 22, 2011)

Stratadrake said:


> Oh, that.  Skunks have no long-range vision -- their eyes can only focus about as far as they spray, everything beyond that is an incomprehensible blur.


You'd think they'd be able to hear something coming. 

Then again, skunks are pretty much fearless, maybe they think they can take an 18-wheeler on.


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## Volkodav (Oct 22, 2011)

Ad Hoc said:


> You'd think they'd be able to hear something coming.
> 
> Then again, skunks are pretty much fearless, maybe they think they can take an 18-wheeler on.


Nope
I've walked 2 feet near a skunk & sat down as it was rummaging around


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## OssumPawesome (Oct 22, 2011)

I really think that if FAF focused its collective brainpower on something other than "are skunk butts smelly?" we could cure cancer or end world hunger.


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## Volkodav (Oct 22, 2011)

OssumPawesome said:


> I really think that if FAF focused its collective brainpower on something other than "are skunk butts smelly?" we could cure cancer or end world hunger.



im knowledgeable in animals, not cancer or starving chilluns lol


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## Tycho (Oct 22, 2011)

Clayton said:


> Nope
> I've walked 2 feet near a skunk & sat down as it was rummaging around



Doesn't necessarily mean it didn't hear you.



OssumPawesome said:


> I really think that if FAF focused its collective brainpower on something other than "are skunk butts smelly?" we could cure cancer or end world hunger.



I think you vastly overestimate the "collective brainpower" present in these forums.



DarrylWolf said:


> 2.) I lived with an un-housebroken beagle and a baby brother who was one year old at the same time. Over time, I could tell when the beagle had an accident and when my infant brother had an accident as the dog poop smelled worse. It's based on that I can say pretty confidently that animals are much smellier than humans. Plus, you can bathe a human and get the smell out rather easily with some soap and water- often using general soap (not the kind you get at veterinarian's offices) and water only makes your pet smell that much worse.



Really? Baby-shit-smell offends my nose more than most canine equivalents.  There have been incidents where a dog has produced a horrific stink without peer - a border collie who indulged in coprophagia and then proceeded to vomit it back out, for example (oh my gods, I had to apply mentholatum under my nose, it was so bad) - but usually an infant will win that duel of stenches by my nose's measure.  I have been fortunate enough not to have to deal with any sort of serious anal gland discharge, though I have no doubt that it would probably be horrifically putrid.

As for bathing - wet-dog smell in and of itself only mildly offends me.  And I can't imagine anyone in their right mind using regular soap to wash their dog - shampoos are available that do an excellent job, rinse out of the coat very clean and smell reasonably pleasant (though the dog almost always disagrees, it seems).


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## OssumPawesome (Oct 22, 2011)

Tycho said:


> I think you vastly overestimate the "collective brainpower" present in these forums.



I'm typically in R&R, not the Den, so I guess that's a distinct possibility.


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## Volkodav (Oct 22, 2011)

Tycho said:


> Doesn't necessarily mean it didn't hear you.


It didn't until I got my camera out, then it went WOAH WWOOWHWAHA SHIT. OHHH SHIT ITS A HUMAN and stared and I bailed

They;re good at smelling though

Skunks, unlike animals like cats [excellent smell, sight and hearing... they can actually pinpoint a sound in a fraction of a second] don't need to rely on their senses to stay out of danger. They have blakc and white colouring and in nature, this is a huge red flag as is.


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## Tycho (Oct 22, 2011)

OssumPawesome said:


> I'm typically in R&R, not the Den, so I guess that's a distinct possibility.



yeah, see, you're going from sitting at the dinner table with the adults, to sitting with drooling retards at an old card table smeared with mashed potatoes and covered in magic marker scribblings of objects that vaguely resemble genitalia.


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## Stratelier (Oct 23, 2011)

Ad Hoc said:


> Then again, skunks are pretty much fearless...


That too.  They have pretty much no natural predators (aside from an occasional raptor, since birds can't smell), so they're not naturally afraid of anything.


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## Human (Oct 26, 2011)

Skunks are getting flattened around here left and right.  In Georgia it was armadillos, here in VA it's skunks.  The smell gets spread out over a mile or two and it isn't all THAT bad.
But a while back one sprayed just outside of our house one night. We had our windows open because the weather was nice. The smell was so powerful it woke us all up.  
It's a smell that goes straight to your brain. It's not just bad, it's soul smothering. You actually feel your lungs rejecting the air you breathe.

I imagine an anthro skunk that actually sprayed would be pretty much run out of town forever.


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## Heliophobic (Oct 26, 2011)

OssumPawesome said:


> I really think that if FAF focused its collective brainpower on something other than "are skunk butts smelly?" we could cure cancer or end world hunger.



It's simply trivial. I don't see you whining about trivial shit that isn't anthro related.



Human said:


> It's a smell that goes straight to your brain. It's not just bad, it's soul smothering. You actually feel your lungs rejecting the air you breathe.



I personally don't have a problem with the smell of skunk, but I guess I just haven't been close enough to the smell.


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## Human (Oct 26, 2011)

Yeah, proximity is a huge factor.  When it's diffused and diluted it's not all that horrible.  At Ground Zero it's like inhaling the concentrated fumes of nine-thousand and one burning shit-smeared tires in a landfill all in one big whiff.


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## Vega (Oct 26, 2011)

Invent a furry style deodorant, problem solved. :v


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## Volkodav (Oct 27, 2011)

Skunk spray isn't too too bad, it's just annoying to smell.
It smells almost like burnt popcorn and rubber. I don't understand how some people find that sexually appealing

[I've been sprayed directly numerous times]


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## Vega (Oct 27, 2011)

Clayton said:


> Skunk spray isn't too too bad, it's just annoying to smell.
> It smells almost like burnt popcorn and rubber. I don't understand how some people find that sexually appealing
> 
> [I've been sprayed directly numerous times]



Same reason people find scat sexually appealing?


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## Volkodav (Oct 27, 2011)

Vega said:


> Same reason people find scat sexually appealing?


mental issues?


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## Fay V (Oct 27, 2011)

I doubt it would be unbearable for animals in furry land. 1. people get used to smells 2. I've had dogs roll in dead animals, happily, they don't seem to give a fuck.


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