Skunk hair

Skunk Mephitis mephitis

Description

Fibers obtained from the tails of the North American skunk (Mephitis mephitis) and the South American skunk (Coneaptus mephitu). The long white or black guard hairs have been used for paint brushes.

Synonyms and Related Terms

polecat; zorrino; sorino; wood pussy; North American skunk (Mephitis mephitis); South American skunk (Coneaptus mephitu); stinkdyr (Dan.); Skunk (Deut., Ned.); zorrino (Esp.); mouffette (Fr.); (It.); stinkdieren (Ned.); stinkdyrene (Nor.); skunkar (Sven.)

Skunk hair

Other Properties

Cross section of butt end is circular becoming flattened and twisted further along the hair.

Additional Images

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  Skunk hair

Authority

• F. Kidd, Brushmaking Materials, Bristish Brush Manufacturers, London, 1957

• Zora Sweet Pinney, 'A Handle on the Terms used for Artists' Brushes', unpublished glossary, 1999

• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skunk (Accessed Nov. 9, 2005)

• Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: skunk" Encyclopædia Britannica from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service. [Accessed October 16, 2003].