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Ferret-badger

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Ferret-badger
Chinese ferret-badger (Melogale moschata) at Prague Zoo
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Infraclass: Placentalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Subfamily: Helictidinae
J.E.Gray, 1865[1]
Genus: Melogale
I. Saint-Hilaire, 1831
Type species
Melogale personata
Species
Melogale distribution

Ferret-badgers are the six species of the genus Melogale,[2] which is the only genus of the monotypic mustelid subfamily Helictidinae.[3][4][5][6]

Description and etymology

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The genus was described in 1931 by Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (as Mélogale) with Melogale personata as its sole member. Sainte-Hilaire chose the genus name, which he translated to "belette blaireau" ("badger weasel") after the animal's resemblance to those other mustelids. He described M. personata as having a weasel-like shape but likened its head, claws, hair, and coloration to those of a badger (genus Meles). Sainte-Hilaire described M. personata as belonging to a distinct genus on the basis of its long, cone-shaped head.[8]

Human impact

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The ferret-badger's impact on humans is through the spread of rabies. This has been documented in Taiwan and China but lack of prior documentation and research on ferret-badgers has proven a roadblock.[9][10][11]

Genus Melogale – I. Saint-Hilaire, 1831 – five species
Common name Scientific name and subspecies Range Size and ecology IUCN status and estimated population
Bornean ferret-badger M. everetti
(Thomas, 1895)		 Small parts of Borneo
Map of range		 Size: 33–44 cm (13–17 in) long, plus 15–23 cm (6–9 in) tail[12]

Habitat: Forest and shrubland[13]

Diet: Primarily eats invertebrates, amphibians, insects, fruit, and carrion[12][13]		  EN 

Unknown Population declining[13]
Burmese ferret-badger

Mounted brown mustelid with green background

 M. personata
I. Saint-Hilaire, 1831

Five subspecies
  • M. p. laotum
  • M. p. nipalensis
  • M. p. personata
  • M. p. pierrei
  • M. p. tonquinia
Southeast Asia
Map of range		 Size: 33–44 cm (13–17 in) long, plus 15–23 cm (6–9 in) tail[14]

Habitat: Grassland, shrubland, and forest[15]

Diet: Primarily eats insects and snails, as well as small mammals, frogs, lizards, carrion, birds, eggs, and fruit[14][15]		  LC 

Unknown Unknown[15]
Chinese ferret-badger

Brown and gray mustelids

 M. moschata
(Gray, 1831)

Seven subspecies
  • M. m. ferreogrisea
  • M. m. hainanensis
  • M. m. millsi
  • M. m. moschata
  • M. m. sorella
  • M. m. subaurantiaca
  • M. m. taxilla
East Asia
Map of range		 Size: 30–43 cm (12–17 in) long, plus 15–21 cm (6–8 in) tail[16]

Habitat: Forest, shrubland, and grassland[17]

Diet: Primarily eats insects, frogs, and carrion[17]		  LC 

Unknown Population steady[17]
Javan ferret-badger

Black and white mustelid

 M. orientalis
(Blanford, 1888)

Two subspecies
  • M. o. orientalis
  • M. o. sundaicus
Parts of Java and Bali
Map of range		 Size: 35–40 cm (14–16 in) long, plus 14–17 cm (6–7 in) tail[18]

Habitat: Shrubland and forest[19]

Diet: Primarily eats invertebrates and insects[18][19]		  LC 

Unknown Unknown[19]
Vietnam ferret-badger M. cucphuongensis
T. Nadler, 2011		 Vietnam
Map of range		 Size: Unknown

Habitat: Forest[20]

Diet: Unknown[20]		  DD 

Unknown Unknown[20]


References

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  1. ↑ Gray, J.E. (1865). "Revision of the genera and species of Mustelidae contained in the British Museum". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 33: 100–154. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1865.tb02315.x.
  2. ↑ Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 612–613. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  3. ↑ Koepfli, K.-P.; Deere, K.A.; Slater, G.J.; Begg, C.; Begg, K.; Grassman, L.; Lucherini, M.; Veron, G.; Wayne, R.K. (February 2008). "Multigene phylogeny of the Mustelidae: Resolving relationships, tempo and biogeographic history of a mammalian adaptive radiation". BMC Biology. 6: 10. doi:10.1186/1741-7007-6-10. PMC 2276185. PMID 18275614.
  4. ↑ Yu, L.; Peng, D.; Liu, J.; Luan, P.; Liang, L.; Lee, H.; Lee, M.; Ryder, O.A.; Zhang, Y. (2011). "On the phylogeny of Mustelidae subfamilies: analysis of seventeen nuclear non-coding loci and mitochondrial complete genomes". BMC Evol Biol. 11 (1): 92. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-11-92. PMC 3088541. PMID 21477367.
  5. ↑ Nascimento, F. O. do (2014). "On the correct name for some subfamilies of Mustelidae (Mammalia, Carnivora)". Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia. 54 (21): 307–313. doi:10.1590/0031-1049.2014.54.21.
  6. ↑ Law, C. J.; Slater, G. J.; Mehta, R. S. (2018-01-01). "Lineage Diversity and Size Disparity in Musteloidea: Testing Patterns of Adaptive Radiation Using Molecular and Fossil-Based Methods". Systematic Biology. 67 (1): 127–144. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syx047. PMID 28472434.
  7. ↑ Nadler, T.; Streicher, U.; Stefen, C.; Schwierz, E.; Roos, C. (2011). "A new species of ferret-badger, Genus Melogale, from Vietnam". Der Zoologische Garten. 80 (5): 271–286. doi:10.1016/j.zoolgart.2011.08.004.
  8. ↑ Bélanger, Charles (1834). "Zoologie Section IV. Carnassiers". In Bertrand, Arthus (ed.). Voyage aux Indes-orientales, par le nord de l'Europe (in French). A. Bertrand.
  9. ↑ Tu, Wen-Jane (2020). "A study of the temporal dynamics and human exposure to the Formosan ferret-badger (Melogale moschata subaurantiaca) rabies, 2013 to 2019, Taiwan". The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine. 50 (4): 543–548.
  10. ↑ Shoufeng, Zhang (2010). "Characterization of a rabies virus isolate from a ferret badger (Melogale moschata) with unique molecular differences in glycoprotein antigenic site III". Virus Research. 149 (2): 143–151.
  11. ↑ Shoufeng, Zhang. "Rabies in Ferret Badgers, Southeastern China". Emerging Infectious Diseases. 15 (6): 946–949.
  12. 1 2 Edmison, Nicole (2003). "Melogale everetti". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  13. 1 2 3 Wilting, A.; Duckworth, J. W.; Hearn, A.; Ross, J. (2015). "Melogale everetti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015 e.T13110A45199541. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T13110A45199541.en.
  14. 1 2 Clarke, Rosie (2003). "Melogale personata". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  15. 1 2 3 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.
  16. ↑ Smith, Andrew T.; Xie, Yan, eds. (2010). A Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton University Press. p. 441. ISBN 978-1-4008-3411-2.
  17. 1 2 3 Duckworth, J. W.; Abramov, A. V.; Willcox, D. H. A.; Timmins, R. J.; Choudhury, A.; Roberton, S.; Long, B.; Lau, M. (2016). "Melogale moschata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T41626A45209676. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41626A45209676.en.
  18. 1 2 Denryter, Kristin (2013). "Melogale orientalis". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan. Retrieved November 13, 2019.
  19. 1 2 3 Duckworth, J. W.; Shepherd, C.; Rode-Margono, E. J.; Wilianto, E.; Spaan, D.; Abramov, A. V. (2016). "Melogale orientalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T41697A45218557. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41697A45218557.en.
  20. 1 2 3 Helgen, K.; Long, B. (2016). "Melogale cucphuongensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T68369199A68369432. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T68369199A68369432.en.
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