u/skunk_mephitidae

Photo of Leucistic fisher by Max Allen on iNaturalist, used under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/169374016

1. Other names for the solitary Siberian weasel are kolonok or fire weasel. The musteloids are native all across Asia and a trait of them is the classic long, tube-shaped body with short limbs as with all mustelines.

2. Siberian weasels, much like their polecat cousins, possess a facial "bandit" mask across the eyes and make charming dooking sounds when excited and/or playful.

3. These carnivorous musteloids are highly skilled, intelligent hunters mainly preying on rodents. Birds, amphibians, fish, eggs, and vegetation may be consumed when rodents are not present.

4. Siberian weasels are often nocturnal or crepuscular.

5. The musteloids breed yearly, from every late winter to early spring.

6. Fallen logs, empty stumps, and brushwood piles are their preferred choice of shelter or nest.

7. Japanese weasels (Mustela itatsi) were once classified as a subspecies of Siberian weasel, before an elevation of them to an entirely separate species.

8. When spooked they puff out a foul-smelling musk from the anal glands.

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First photo by 通通 on iNaturalist, used under CC BY-NC 4.0.

Second photo by veravolobyeva on iNaturalist, used under CC BY-NC 4.0.

Third photo by fangchen on iNaturalist, used under CC BY-NC 4.0.

Closely related to the zorilla, grison, and marbled polecat, the Saharan striped polecat, Poecilictis libyca, is a member of the mustelid family. They are NOT skunks despite their similar odour and appearance. Saharan striped polecats like Sandy are highly skilled at digging.

Coatis are close cousins to the raccoon.. do they count? X3

Has anyone noticed this article about skunks ranking unusually high for spreading false information? It claims they are mustelids, rather than their own family, Mephitidae. It also frames their diet as carnivores instead of omnivores. Other issues are that its poorly worded and includes more misconceptions. I'm sorry if it sounds like a weird or hyper-specific post, but I wanted to bring it to attention. Seems like bad news for the skunk community ☹️

This isn't acceptable.

Photo of Striped hog-nosed skunk by Charlie Doggett on iNaturalist, used under CC BY-NC 4.0.

Meet the striped hog-nosed skunk (Conepatus semistriatus)! It is a neotropical and nocturnal musteloid (weasel superfamily, Musteloidea member, raccoons, weasels, otters, red pandas, and other relatives!) in the family Mephitidae (the skunks and stink badgers) native to Central and South America. Does it remind you of a stink badger, just with a longer tail?

Their range is from southern Mexico, to Central America, to northern Peru. Additionally, there is also a population of these adorable, quirky musteloids in eastern Brazil.

Striped hog-nosed skunks live in a wide range of habitats, like caatingas, orchards, grasslands, and rainforests. During the wet season, it chooses higher grounds in deciduous forests.

As with all hog-nosed skunks they have powerful, long claws, and can dig up insects with them. What earns the hog-nosed skunks' names are due to their characteristic pig-like snouts for rooting.

They live in small dens from old fallen tree logs or burrows. The striped hog-nosed skunk is solitary and an omnivore.

And, when threatened? These little guys are more dramatic with their stomps than your local striped skunk. They SLAM their front paws on the ground harder than a striped skunk! I've watched a clip of a striped hog-nosed skunk acting all feisty when detecting a threat and performing their warning signals, tail puffed up!

If the enemy continues to ignore these warnings, then the striped hog-nosed skunk lets off its defensive stinkbomb liquid at the opponent from the anal glands.

Don't get the striped hog-nosed skunk confused with our familiar striped skunk or the closely related American hog-nosed skunk! All different mephitids.

Despite its name, the fisher does not actively hunt for fish. The name originates from "fitch", due to its similarities with their relatives, polecats and ferrets. Fitch is another word for a polecat or ferret. And it's not a cat, it's a musteloid.

The fisher was once classified as a marten, but is now recognized as a member of its own genus, Pekania. Officially, their scientific name is Pekania pennanti! So what else do we know about this fascinating creature?

Fishers have semi-retractable claws, and like ringtails, can rotate their hind ankles 180 degrees. This helps them to climb down trees headfirst.

Fishers are members of the subfamily Guloninae within the weasel family Mustelidae. This means their closest musteloid relatives are martens, sables, wolverines, and tayras! Other names for the fisher are pekan or wejack.

Fishers are omnivores, consuming small mammals, birds, insects, nuts, berries, and carrion. They're native to North America.

Public domain photo by NPS

First image is the greater grison, the second image is the lesser grison.

Here's an overview on those mysterious mustelids I posted about not too long ago: the grisons of the genus Galictis.

There are two species of grisons! The lesser grison (Galictis cuja) and the greater grison (Galictis vittata). Both may resemble mini honey badgers at first glance, but they're actually closer to the zorillas within the mustelid family. Lesser grisons are smaller than the greater grison.

Grisons can live alone or in small groups of 2 or more, consisting of the parents and kits.

Unsurprisingly, grisons possess anal scent glands to spray a foul-smelling liquid, much like their close cousin the zorilla. That is an animal I certainly wouldn't want to upset! Fortunately, they only spray in self-defence.

Paso Pacífico recommends if you do come across a grison, you should leave it alone. Grisons are usually not that aggressive towards humans, but if they feel threatened, it will spray or use its teeth and claws to protect itself.

Grisons are often thought of as carnivores, but in reality, they are omnivores! They eat small animals, eggs, vegetables, and fruit. It is said that they play with their prey before consuming it.

These small mustelids are also excellent climbers and swimmers, and are most active during daytime. They live near rivers, streams, wetlands, and forest cerrados.

Wild and captive grison personalities have been reported as playful or inquisitive.

Photo by USFWS