Chinese ferret-badger
The Chinese ferret-badger (Melogale moschata), also known as the small-toothed ferret-badger is a member of the mustelid widely distributed in Southeast Asia. It is listed as Least Concern by IUCN and considered tolerant of modified habitat.[1]
| Chinese ferret-badger | |
|---|---|
| |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Mustelidae |
| Genus: | 'Melogale' |
| Species: | ''M. moschata |
| Binomial name | |
| Melogale moschata (Gray, 1831)
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| Chinese ferret-badger range | |
| Synonyms | |
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Helictis subaurantiaca | |
Characteristics
editDistinctive mask-like face markings distinguish the Chinese ferret-badger from most other oriental mustelids, although the remaining members of the genus Melogale have comparable facial markings. This ferret-badger lives in burrows or crevices and is active at dusk and at night. It is a good climber and feeds on fruit, insects, small animals and worms. It is savage when alarmed and its anal secretions are foul-smelling.
The average body size of the Chinese ferret-badger is 33 to 43 centimetres (13 to 17 in) with a tail of 15 to 23 centimetres (5.9 to 9.1 in). It lives in grassland, open forest and tropical rainforest from north-eastern India to southern China, including Hong Kong, Taiwan and northern Indochina.
Ecology and behaviour
editChinese ferret-badgers mate in March. The female gives birth to a litter of up to 3 young in May or June. The new borns are blind and well furred with the same color pattern as the adults. Their eyes remain closed for at least 2 weeks.[2]
The Chinese ferret-badger is associated with reported outbreaks of human rabies in Southeastern China which were first reported in 1997 and the most recent case in 2008. There have been no reported deaths in these cases; however, there is currently no vaccination for rabies associated with ferret-badgers.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b Template:IUCN
- ^ Storz, J. F. and Wozencraft, W. C. (1999). Melogale moschata. Mammalian Species No. 631: 1–4.
- ^ Zhang, S., Tang, Q., Wu, X., Liu, Y., Zhang, F., Rupprecht, C. E., & Hu, R. (2009). Rabies in ferret badgers, southeastern China. Emerging infectious diseases: 15 (6): 946. doi: 10.3201/eid1506.081485