Overkill? Maybe?

Here's the deal. The other day Jame-Jame and I were driving down a quaint country road down here in Tennessee. All of a sudden we started to smell a familiar yet disturbing smell. All of us know the smell, most of us try to ignore the smell and none of us like the smell. That's right. It's skunk. Ever since we moved to the South I feel like I get to experience this smell more and more. This last experience with this skunkiness caused me to question God's creation.

Being a skunk is probably harder than I think. Porcupines have sharp spines, certain octopi can actually change color and despite being big enough to step on all other land creatures, elephants have huge tusks. So I can understand skunks feeling a little shafted when it comes to the self defense.

On the other hand, really? Does it need to be that potent? Does the smell need to travel for three miles in every direction? Does it really need to last for a solid week? Apparently skunks have two glands in their anus that produce a mixture of sulfur containing the chemicals methyl and butyl thiols. Couldn't something like that be just as effective in a 100 ft. radius or maybe even just a 50 or 30 ft. radius?

I know this subject matter is completely random but I really am starting to question the intensity of the skunks self defense mechanism. I will also always wonder why the aroma of a skunks stink glands has to smell like starbucks coffee. I promise it does, just a little.