Last week I was driving to work and ran across a dead skunk in the road. (Literally). Skunks are actually beautiful animals. Their silky black and white coats shine in the sun. They have adorable babies. They are actually very smart and if you remove their odor glands, I am told they make very good pets.
Alas - this particular hunk of road kill was not deodorized and my car's interior absorbed the aroma immediately. Having encountered skunk aroma up close and personal from my wonderful canine pets over the years - each time I smell skunk my eyes water. I have no idea how skunks can even deal with the smell.
By the time I arrived at work the odor was gone and I forgot the incident completely - until I drove home that night. The skunk had been reduced to organic bits and pieces and there was a raven eagerly grabbing bites of the meat. I know that birds of prey have amazing eyesight and sense of smell. Apparently eau du skunk doesn't offend the ravens.
And then I thought - oh, my. I wonder if ravens - or any bird for that matter - emits wind. I know that mammals do. Our dog sometimes gifts us with a room full of doggy air. I used to walk early in the morning and would pass a dairy farm on my journey. In the dark and quiet I could hear the cows chewing their cud and other bodily sounds. But birds - I don't know.
Anyway - I thought - if birds do have flatulence - think about the night my skunk eating raven comes back to the nest. Perhaps his mate doesn't notice the aroma at first. But then - there's a sneaker in the nest. A tiny bit of silent wind. And it smells like skunk. I was humored by the thought.
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