Raccoons ("Procyon lotor") and striped skunks ("Mephitis mephitis") may also capture young. Like "M. mephitis", for self-defense, they spray volatile components from their anal glands.! The hooded skunk ("Mephitis macroura") is a species of mammal in the family Mephitidae. Luteimonas mephitis is a yellow-pigmented bacterium and the type species of its genus. Mephitis was the Roman goddess of noxious vapors, who protects against malaria.