Normally, body odor would be something to be ashamed about, but not for the skunk. Not many animals are popular, or should we say, notorious, for their pungent smell like the skunk.

While other citizens of the animal kingdom make loud noises, use camouflage techniques, or even use sharp tails and quills to ward off predators, the skunk blasts its enemies with an eye-watering and even vomit-inducing smell.

This black and white coated animal has truly mastered the art of odor-defense. But how does the skunk do it?

Well, according to experts, “Skunk spray is a thiol, an organic compound with sulfur as a principal component. Sulfur has that classic rotten egg smell, and it’s what gives thiol its gag-inducing power. For detection purposes, thiols are added to otherwise smell-free natural gas, so that it will have a noticeable odor. In the case of skunk spray, the thiol is so potent that it can be smelled a half-mile away.”

Sounds downright nasty, right? What’s even worse is that the smell isn’t that easy to get off. Luckily, a whole lot of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide can supposedly do the trick.

Learn more here.