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Mustelidae badgers, otters, weasels, and relatives

Mustelidae is the largest family within Carnivora and is comprised of 56 species in 22 genera. Members of this family include weasels, stoats, polecats, mink, marten, fishers, wolverines, otters, badgers and others. While many authors have traditionally considered skunks a subfamily within Mustelidae, recent molecular evidence indicates that skunks do not lie within the mustelid group and instead are recognized as a single family, Mephitidae, a systematic understanding which is accepted here (Dragoo and

Mustela kathiah yellow-bellied weasel

Members of the family Mustelidae are known for their ferocity and aggression. Mustela kathiah has been referred to as a hyperactive bundle of concentrated predatory energy (Jha, 1999). It is likely that M. katiah acts to control rodent populations in the areas where it lives. Yellow-bellied weasels are easily tamed and can be used to control rodents within human structures (Sterndale 1982). There are no known adverse effects of M. katiah on humans. Yellow-bellied weasels are listed in Schedule II part II of

Mustela nudipes Malayan weasel

Mustela species, females typically care for their young without male involvement. Lifespans of Malayan weasels have not been studied. They are thought to live between 3 and 10 years based on similar-sized mustelids. 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

Mustela africana tropical weasel

observe their surroundings while foraging. Weasels also perform a dance behavior, which is said to distract prey so they do not expect an attack. Currently there is no information available regarding the home range size of Amazon weasels. There is currently very little information available regarding Amazon weasels since they are not very well known. However, in general, species in family Mustelidae exhibit enlarged scent glands. These glands are the source of a thick secretion known as musk. This scent is

Mustela altaica mountain weasel

Mustela felipei Colombian weasel

Mustela nigripes black-footed ferret

Mustela subpalmata Egyptian weasel

Mustela eversmanii steppe polecat

Mustela lutreolina Indonesian mountain weasel

Mustela strigidorsa black-striped weasel

Mustela frenata long-tailed weasel

Mustela nivalis least weasel

Mustela itatsi Japanese weasel

Mustela putorius European polecat

Mustela erminea ermine

Mustela lutreola European mink

Mustela sibirica Siberian weasel

Mustela putorius furo domestic ferret

Martes martens

The Genus Martes contains a total 7 species of martens and the sable. Members of the Family Mustelidae, they typically have large paws with partially retractile claws, long slender bodies with short legs, and luxurious coats. Distributed throughout North America, Europe and Asia these animals are forest-dwelling and call the taiga, deciduous, and coniferous forest home. Martes are omnivores with diets including small mammals, fish, birds, fruit, and seeds. Like many other Mustelidae martens live solitary

Aonyx clawless otters

Martes americana American marten

is active all winter. Home ranges of 8.1 square km for males and 2.3 square km for females are reported. American martens have complex means of communication. In addition to the scent marking so common in Mustelidae, they use vocalizations (huffs, chuckles, and screams). Physical contact is important between mates as well as between mothers and their offspring. The role of visual cues in communication has not been reported, but in many Mustelids, body postures play an important role in communication. It is

Vormela peregusna marbled polecat

emit a strong odor when threatened. In the family Mustelidae, scent marking is the most common form of communication (Wund, 2005). Little information is otherwise available regarding communication of this typically solitary species. When threatened, they emit aggressive hisses. They may also give alarm cries, grunts, and shrieks of submission. Marbled polecats are generalists and opportunistic predators (Ben-David, Pellis, and Pellis 1991). Their diet includes a range of rodents such as great gerbils, house

Martes martes European pine marten

developed claws (Grzimek 1990, Corbet and Southern 1977, Nowak 1999). Reproduction in European pine martens is tied closely to the seasonality of their temperate habitats, as it is in many members of the family Mustelidae. Mating and fertilization in July and August is followed by a period of delayed implantation that lasts about seven months. Implantation occurs in late February and March. The timing of implantation responds to photoperiod, specifically to the spring increase in duration of daylight

Gulo gulo wolverine

food and hide young. They construct rough beds of grass or leaves in caves or rock crevices, in burrows made by other animals, or under a fallen tree. They occasionally construct their nests under the snow. Wolverines are found exclusively in areas with cold climates, which may be related to their reliance on scavenging and caching large animal prey. Cold weather helps preserve the meat for later use. Wolverines are one of the largest members of the family Mustelidae and are unmistakable in appearance. They

Meles meles Eurasian badger

30% for males and 24% for females. Compared to most other species belonging to Mustelidae, Eurasian badgers are quite gregarious. Social groups may have between 2 and 23 individuals. Average groups consist of 1 to 6 adults and their offspring, and group-size depends on resource quality and abundance. Social behavior in Eurasian badgers may be due to instability in food availability and foraging conditions. In social populations, each group contains a single dominant breeding pair that performs a majority of

Mellivora capensis honey badger

are known to exhibit a resistance to the effects of snake venom, including species of opossum (Didelphidae), hedgehogs (Erinacediae), mongoose (Herpestidae), skunks (Mephitidae>>), and several mustelids (Mustelidae). It is likely that the honey badger also has resistance to snake venom, although the exact physiological mechanism has not been demonstrated in honey badgers. For other venom resistant mammals, the typical mechanisms are either factors in the blood that inactivate the venom toxins, or that the

Galictis cuja lesser grison

Lontra felina marine otter

Eira barbara tayra

Ictonyx striatus striped polecat

Lontra canadensis northern river otter

Lutrogale perspicillata smooth-coated otter

Martes flavigula yellow-throated marten

Melogale personata Burmese ferret-badger

Aonyx cinerea Oriental small-clawed otter

Enhydra lutris sea otter

Lutra lutra European otter

Martes foina beech marten; house marten