If we begin with BasicBiosis and search with the keyword skunk* we'll certainly get some (27 in fact), but inspection of a few records tells us that some are utterly irrelevant --for example, several ar about skunk cabbage-- and suggests that it would be more productive to use a more specific term: mephitis. That gets us 17 hits but we have very few of the journals. Nonetheless, getting the abstracts of likely-looking items can't be a bad idea, and looking at the descriptors is also time well spent.
A search for mephitis in Cambridge Scientific Abstracts is more fruitful: the 1992-current database gives 28 hits, and the 1982-1991 a further 62, and the titles of the articles are tempting: #3 of the first 28 provides a bit of a linguistic challenge: "Aposematic behaviour in the striped skunk, Mephitis mephitis", in Ethology.
So what's 'aposematic'? How would we find out? A glance at Animal Behavior Desk Reference (SCI REF QL750.3 .B37) has 3 listings:
- aposematic behavior, aposematism (see behavior: aposematic behavior)
- aposematic coloration (see coloration: aposematic coloration)
- aposematic stridulation (see animal sounds: stridulation)
We could also try the Oxford English Dictionary, via Library Gateway ==> Research Resources ==> Encyclopedias and Dictionaries.<--in short, we get a bit of general education as a byproduct. A look at the entry for behavior: aposematic behavior revealsIn many animal species with defenses (stings, bites, sprays, toxicity) and warning coloration (q.v.), structures, or both: an individual's acting as if it is dangerous to a potential predator, e.g., by resting in a conspicuous place or walking slowly in the open...Alas, we don't currently receive the journal Ethology, but this looks like a good candidate for InterLibrary Loan. And in fact few of the articles seem to be about behavior, and few are in journals we have --so this tells us that the sooner the better for choosing a few for ILL.One problem that sometimes arises is an abbreviated journal title --and the ILL form says "do not abbreviate". So how do we FIND the full title? The answer is a SCI REF source: BIOSIS Serial Sources (SCI REF Z5231 .B56). This may also be useful if your bibliographic format requires abbreviations and you know only the full name of a journal.