Do skunks stick their head in the ground when they’re scared?

Frankie Mae Ball, 10, Montrose

A skunk often digs into the ground and pokes its nose into holes, but when frightened or threatened, it usually tries to run away. If it feels trapped or cornered, it’ll back up, stamping the ground with stiff front feet. It might hiss or growl, too. The spray is a defensive maneuver of last resort. A skunk sprays while still facing its target. It raises its tail and bends into a U-shaped position, with both head and tail facing its target, to deliver the smelly substance. A skunk can spray several times.

Have deer ever attacked humans? Does it happen lots of times?

Austin Bancroft, 10, Ballwin

Wild deer almost always flee when they encounter humans. Still, wild animals can behave unpredictably, and some deer have attacked humans. Such behavior is unusual enough to become news. The most likely time a deer would attack is during the rut. Bucks often fight one another during the whitetail breeding period, and on rare occasion one can become aggressive enough to attack a human. A deer might also be dangerous if it is cornered and has no other option than to fight.

Do turtles make any kind of noise? Is there any way to tell a girl box turtle from a boy box turtle?

Emily Blackburn, 7, Marshall

Turtles do not make any vocal noises. When startled, however, they sometimes make a quick, hissing noise, that resembles a gasp. Male box turtles have red eyes, and females have yellow-brown eyes.

I was wondering if alligator snapping turtles would be near my house, like in the Missouri or Mississippi rivers, or near my dad’s house at Lake of the Ozarks? Is it easy to tell the two snapping turtles apart? How big can a common snapping turtle get? How big can an alligator snapping turtle get?

Heather Karch, 12, Spanish Lake

Alligator snapping turtles live in the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, but they don’t live in Lake of the Ozarks. They often inhabit deep, muddy pools of large rivers, deep sloughs and oxbows. It’s illegal to kill or possess them. Common snapping turtles live in farm ponds, streams, rivers, swamps and lakes throughout the state.

The alligator snapper is the larger of the two. Its upper shell length ranges from 15 to 26 inches, compared to 8 to 14 inches for common snapping turtles. Adult alligator turtles usually weigh from 35 to 150 pounds. The largest on record weighed 316 pounds. Common snapping turtles usually weigh between 10 and 35 pounds.

An alligator snapping turtle has three very distinct ridgelines that run down its shell. It also has a large head and a pronounced hooked beak. Its head, limbs and upper shell are dark brown. Common snappers have shell ridges, too, but the ridges become less pronounced as the turtle gets older. Their color is normally gray-brown.