Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) posted about the mishap on Facebook on Thursday, generating thousands of likes and hundreds of shares on the social media site.

The FWC said in the post that their researchers had laid traps in some of their Wildlife Management Areas in the state in the hope of catching snakes for scientific research.

Instead of snakes, however, skunks were found in their traps. Images posted by the FWC showed the conical-shaped traps laid by the organization with several skunks in and on them.

The post read: “Our snake-studying biologists were checking traps in some of our Wildlife Management Areas, and instead of reptiles, imagine the surprise when they found skunks instead!”

One skunk appeared literally wedged inside a tube, while others climbed on top of the traps.

Two known species of skunk occur in Florida, namely the eastern spotted skunk and the striped skunk, which are both found in almost every county across the state.

The eastern spotted skunk is classified by the FWC as a “Species of Greatest Conservation Need” and can grow up to 21 to 24 inches, while striped skunks are larger with full-grown adults up to 31.5 inches long.

Skunks are known to dig their own burrows but also use the pre-made dens of other plant and animal life, such as gopher tortoise burrows and wood piles. In more urban settings, the animals can also make their dens from manmade structures like sheds.

The FWC said that, despite not being their expected result, the coincidence was a happy one because they are also collecting data about skunks in the state at present.

The wildlife management authority asked the public to submit their own data about skunk sightings in the state using an online survey.

Adult skunks tend to be solitary animals that come together during mating season in springtime. Like bears, they are omnivorous, and eat a variety of food from beetles and small birds to grasses and mushrooms.

When threatened by predators, skunks can attempt to flee or make themselves appear dangerous or aggressive, even performing hand stands in some instances to make themselves look larger.

Their most infamous defense mechanism is the pungent oily liquid the animal can spray from secretion glands located near its anus. The foul-smelling spray can target a perceived threat up to 15 feet away, allowing the skunk to escape while potential predators are distracted and giving the animals their well-known reputation as bad-smelling among humans.