Burmese ferret-badger
| Burmese ferret-badger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mounted specimen at the Natural History Museum of Genoa | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Placentalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Mustelidae |
| Genus: | Melogale |
| Species: | M. personata |
| Binomial name | |
| Melogale personata | |
 | |
| Burmese ferret-badger range | |
The Burmese ferret-badger (Melogale personata), also known as the large-toothed ferret-badger, is a mustelid native to Southeast Asia.[1]
Little is known about the Burmese ferret-badger. Many of the published descriptions are of deceased individuals or records by camera traps.[1]
Description
[edit]The Burmese ferret-badger has a head and body length of 35–40 cm (14–16 in), a tail length of 15–21 cm (5.9–8.3 in) and a body weight of 1.5–3 kg (3.3–6.6 lb). The fur ranges from fawn brown to dark brown, with a white dorsal stripe. The face is marked with black and white patches, which are unique to each individual. The rear part of the tail is whitish.[2]
The Burmese ferret-badger is very similar in appearance to the Chinese ferret-badger (Melogale moschata) and can only be reliably distinguished by dentition, specifically the larger size up the upper fourth premolar.[3] While some sources have suggested that the two species can be distinguished by dorsal and facial markings, this does not appear to be reliable in all populations.[1]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]
The Burmese ferret badger has been recorded in north-eastern India, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Yunnan province in southwestern China. It inhabits evergreen forests, and is more commonly reported in disturbed habitat than in old-growth forests.[1] Many reported sightings have been reported near residential or agricultural areas.[3][4][5][6]
The exact distribution of the species is uncertain. The difficulty in determining the species' range is compounded by its strong resemblance to the Chinese ferret-badger, with which it overlaps in some areas and from which it cannot reliably be distinguished without examining its dentition.[7]
Description and taxonomy
[edit]
Melogale personata was described by the French zoologist Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1831 as the type species of the genus Melogale.[8] According to Sainte-Hilaire the species name, personata, was chosen in reference to the animal's striking facial pattern.[8] The holotype specimen is housed in the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle.[9]
Three subspecies are recognised:[2]
As a potential zoonotic disease vector
[edit]A tick collected from a road-killed Burmese ferret-badger was positive for a strain of Rickettsia japonica, a bacteria which causes spotted fever in humans, implicating M. personata as a potential reservoir for the pathogen.[10] The Burmese ferret-badger has also been suggested as a possible reservoir for SARS coronavirus.[11]
Threats and conservation status
[edit]While there is no evidence to suggest that the Burmese ferret-badger is specifically targeted by hunters, it has been caught in traps targeting other species.[1][6]
The Burmese ferret badger is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.[1]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Duckworth, J.W.; Long, B.; Willcox, D.H.A.; Coudrat, C.N.Z.; Timmins, R.J.; Abramov, A.V.; Chan, B.; Chutipong, W. (2016). "Melogale personata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T41627A45209826. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41627A45209826.en.
- 1 2 Lariviére, S. & Jennings, A. P. (2009). Family Mustelidae (Weasels and Relatives). In: Wilson, D. E., Mittermeier, R. A., (Hrsg.). Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 1: Carnivores. Lynx Edicions, 2009. ISBN 978-84-96553-49-1
- 1 2 Thapa, G. B.; Dahal, D. R.; Maharjan, D.; Thapa, S. (2024). "The craniodental structure of a Large-toothed Ferret Badger Melogale personata from Nepal". Small Carnivore Conservation. 62. Archived from the original on 26 April 2025.
- ↑ Islam, M.A.; Wahidunnessa Chowdhury, Gawsia; Belant, Jerry (October 2008). "First record of the Large-toothed Ferret Badger in Bangladesh". Small Carnivore Conservation. 39: 41–42.
- 1 2 Pokharel, G. P.; Dhamala, M. K.; Khadka, D.; Bhatta, S.; Sapkota, R. P.; Kafle, K. R.; Belant, J. L.; Khawas, B. B. (2021). "Range extension of the Melogale personata I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1831 (Mustelidae) in Nepal". Check List. 17 (6): 1451. Bibcode:2021CList..17.1451B. doi:10.15560/17.6.1451.
- 1 2 Baral, B.; Magar, G. B.; Giri, S. R.; Rai, R. S. (2024). "Distribution and new elevational record of Melogale personata (Carnivora: Mustelidae) from Khotang district, Nepal". Mammalogy Notes. 10 (1): 310. doi:10.47603/mano.v10n1.310.
- ↑ Schank, C.; Pollard, E. H. B.; Schrest, W.; Timmins, R.; Holden, J.; Walston, J. (2009). "First confirmed records of large-toothed Ferret Badger Melogale personata in Cambodia, with notes on country records of Melogale". Small Carnivore Conservation. 40: 11–15.
- 1 2 3 Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, I. (1834). "Section IV. Carnassiers. §1. Genre Mélogale". In Bélanger, C.; Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, I.; Valenciennes, A.; Lesson, R.; Deshayes, G. P.; Guérin, R. (eds.). Voyage aux Indes-orientales, par le nord de l'Europe, les provinces du Caucase, la Géorgie, l'Arménie et la Perse, suivi de détails topographiques, statistiques et autres sur le Pégou, les iles de Java, de Maurice et de Bourbon, sur le Cap-de-Bonne-Espérance et Sainte-Héléne, pendant les années 1825, 1826, 1827, 1828 et 1829 (in French). Vol. 2. Zoologie. Paris: A. Bertrand. pp. 129–140, Plate 5.
- ↑ "Holotype Melogale personata Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire I 1831". Science Portail des Collections. Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- ↑ Hirunkanokpun, S.; Ahantarig, A.; Baimai, V.; Pramual, P.; Trinachartvanit, W. (3 January 2022). "A new record of Rickettsia japonica in ticks infesting a Burmese ferret-badger in Thailand". Tropical Biomedicine. 39 (1): 55–59. PMID 35507925.
- ↑ Bell, D.; Roberton, S.; Hunter, P. R. (2004). "Animal origins of SARS coronavirus: possible links with the international trade in small carnivores". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 359 (1447): 1107–1114. doi:10.1098/rstb.2004.1492. PMC 1693393. PMID 15306396.