Mustela nudipes (Malayan weasel) | INFORMATION

Scientific Classification

Rank	Scientific Name
Kingdom	Animalia animals
Phylum	Chordata chordates
Subphylum	Vertebrata vertebrates
Class	Mammalia mammals
Order	Carnivora carnivores
Family	Mustelidae badgers, otters, weasels, and relatives
Genus	Mustela ermines, ferrets, minks, and weasels
Species	Mustela nudipes Malayan weasel

By Jodie Kohlmann

Geographic Range

Malayan weasels inhabit only the Sundaic sub-region of Southeast Asia. The historical distribution extended through Borneo, Sumatra and the Malaysia-Thailand peninsula. Today its geographic range extends across Brunei, Indonesia (Sumatra and Borneo), Malaysia and Thailand, ranging north in the Thailand peninsula to 10 degrees north.

Biogeographic Regions
oriental
- native

Habitat

Although there is little information available about the habitat preference of Malayan weasels, they are presumed to live in similar habitats as other weasels. This species has been found in both forested and deforested areas near urban areas.

Habitat Regions
tropical
terrestrial

Terrestrial Biomes
forest
rainforest

Other Habitat Features
suburban
agricultural

Physical Description

Malayan weasels have a body length of 30 to 36 cm with a tail length of 24 to 26 cm. Fur color ranges from orange-brown to gray-white. The tip of its tail is yellow-white, and the head is a much lighter color (often white) than the rest of its body. There is no fur around the pads on the soles of the feet. Sexual dimorphism in Malayan weasels is not reported but, in other Mustela species, males are often larger than females. Two subspecies of Mustela nudipes are recognized: Mustela nudipes nudipes and Mustela nudipes leucocephalus .

Other Physical Features
endothermic
homoiothermic
bilateral symmetry

Reproduction

Mating systems of Malayan weasels have not been studied. However, other Mustela species are typically polygynous, with males competing for access to females.

Specific reproduction and breeding behaviors of Malayan weasels have not been studied. However, they produce a litter of four each breeding season.

Key Reproductive Features
iteroparous
gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
sexual
viviparous

Specific parental care investment patterns of the Malayan weasel have not been studied. However, as in other Mustela species, females typically care for their young without male involvement.

Parental Investment
female parental care
pre-fertilization
- provisioning
- protecting
  - female
pre-hatching/birth
- provisioning
  - female
- protecting
  - female
pre-weaning/fledging
- provisioning
  - female
- protecting
  - female

Lifespan/Longevity

Lifespans of Malayan weasels have not been studied. They are thought to live between 3 and 10 years based on similar-sized mustelids .

Behavior

Malayan weasels are shy members of the Mustelidae family. They tend to be solitary, but have been sighted in pairs. They are primarily terrestrial, but have also been observed swimming. Their movement is quiet and subtle; they favor a silent zig-zagging running pattern. While foraging, they run on the ground and jump into logs in search of food.

Key Behaviors
terricolous
motile
sedentary
solitary

Home Range

The home range sizes of Malayan weasels has not been reported.

Communication and Perception

Specific communication patterns of Malayan weasels have not been studied. However, forms of communication among other weasels consist of vocalizations, including trills, squeals, screeches, or purrs during mating seasons or warning signals. Weasels use musk glands to mark territories or hunting areas. Visual, sound, scent and tactile communication is used to warn others and to communicate before mating.

Communication Channels
tactile
acoustic
chemical

Perception Channels
visual
tactile
acoustic
chemical

Food Habits

Malayan weasels are carnivorous. They hunt and forage for food by searching on logs, boulders, burrows, and holes. They eat a wide variety of small rodents, along with occasional small birds, lizards, or insects.

Primary Diet
carnivore
- eats terrestrial vertebrates
- insectivore

Animal Foods
birds
mammals
amphibians
reptiles
eggs
insects
terrestrial non-insect arthropods

Predation

Pythons are the only documented predators of Malayan weasels, although they are occasionally hunted by humans for food. Malayan weasels use warning calls and screeches to communicate and warn each other that predators are near.

Anti-predator Adaptations
cryptic

Ecosystem Roles

Malayan weasels help to control populations of small rodents through predation.

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Malayan weasels are used for medicinal purposes, hunted for their skin for hats, food, and trophies. They are welcomed in some rural areas because they prey on rodent pests.

Positive Impacts
body parts are source of valuable material
controls pest population

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

Malayan weasels are described as pests sometimes because they may take small livestock, such as chickens.

Conservation Status

Malayan weasels are listed as a species of least concern according to the IUCN Red List. However, they are protected in Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, and Sabah. Population sizes are slowly decreasing, presumably due to hunting and killing by humans.

Other Comments

Some cultures believe that burning their fur will eliminate ghosts and evil spirits.

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Jodie Kohlmann (author), University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, Christopher Yahnke (editor), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Tanya Dewey (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Shaina Stewart (editor), University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point.

oriental

found in the oriental region of the world. In other words, India and southeast Asia.

World Map

native range: the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.

tropical: the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.

terrestrial: Living on the ground.

forest: forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.

rainforest: rainforests, both temperate and tropical, are dominated by trees often forming a closed canopy with little light reaching the ground. Epiphytes and climbing plants are also abundant. Precipitation is typically not limiting, but may be somewhat seasonal.

suburban: living in residential areas on the outskirts of large cities or towns.

agricultural: living in landscapes dominated by human agriculture.

endothermic: animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.

bilateral symmetry: having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.

iteroparous: offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).

sexual: reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female

viviparous: reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.

female parental care: parental care is carried out by females

motile: having the capacity to move from one place to another.

sedentary: remains in the same area

solitary: lives alone

tactile: uses touch to communicate

acoustic: uses sound to communicate

chemical: uses smells or other chemicals to communicate

visual: uses sight to communicate

tactile: uses touch to communicate

acoustic: uses sound to communicate

chemical: uses smells or other chemicals to communicate

cryptic: having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.

carnivore: an animal that mainly eats meat

insectivore: An animal that eats mainly insects or spiders.

References

Abramov, A. 2000. A taxonomic review of the genus Mustela (Mammalia, Carnivora). Zoosystematica Rossica , 8/2: 361.

Brongersma, D., D. Junge. 1942. On the Variation of Mustela ( Lutreola ) nudipes Desm.. Zoologische Mededelingen , 23/9: 149-170.

Duckworth, J., B. Lee, E. Meijaard, S. Meiri. 2006. The Malay Weasel ( Mustela nudipes ): distribution, natural history and a global conservation status review. Small Carnivore Conservion , 34/35: 2-21.

Giordano, A., J. Brodie. 2012. An observation of Malay Weasel ( Mustela nudipes ) in Gunung Mulu National Park (Sarawak, Malaysia) with a comment on discriminating this species from sympatric orange mongooses Herpestes. Small Carnivore Conservation , 47: 71-72.

Koepfli, K., K. Deere, G. Slater, C. Begg, K. Begg, L. Grassman, M. Lucherini, G. Veron, R. Wayne. 2008. Multigene phylogeny of the Mustelidae: Resolving relationships, tempo and biogeographic history of a mammalian adaptive radiation. BMC Biology , 6/10: 1-22.

2013. "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species" (On-line). Mustela nudipes . Accessed August 21, 2013 at http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/summary/41657/0 .