47-439: (many) The striped polecat ( Ictonyx striatus ), also called the African polecat , zoril , zorille , zorilla , Cape polecat , and African skunk , is a member of the family Mustelidae that resembles a skunk (of the family Mephitidae ). The name "zorilla" comes from the Spanish word "zorillo", meaning "skunk", itself a diminutive form of the Spanish "zorro," "fox." It lives predominantly in dry and arid climates, such as
94-511: A British man in his 60s during an early morning walk in Singapore Botanic Gardens . Despite weighing over 200 pounds, he was trampled and bitten and could not stand up without help from a nearby rescuer. The man speculated that another runner might have stepped on one of the animals earlier, and wished that there could be more lighting installed at that location. Norse mythology tells of the dwarf Ótr habitually taking
141-505: A bevy, family, lodge, romp, or raft when in water, indicating their social and playful characteristics. Otters are known for their distinct feces, termed spraints , which can vary in smell from freshly mown hay to putrefied fish. Otters exhibit a varied life cycle with a gestation period of about 60–86 days, and offspring typically stay with their family for a year. They can live up to 16 years, with their diet mainly consisting of fish and sometimes frogs , birds, or shellfish , depending on
188-410: A defense against predators , in a similar manner to skunks. The spray, released by anal stink glands, temporarily blinds their adversaries and irritates the mucous membranes, resulting in an intense burning sensation. Before spraying the opponent with this noxious fluid, the striped polecat often takes a deimatic (threat) stance with its back arched, rear end facing the opponent, and tail straight up in
235-416: A diverse family of carnivoran mammals, including weasels , badgers , otters , polecats , martens , grisons , and wolverines . Otherwise known as mustelids ( / ˈ m ʌ s t ɪ l ɪ d z / ), they form the largest family in the suborder Caniformia of the order Carnivora with about 66 to 70 species in nine subfamilies. Mustelids vary greatly in size and behaviour. The smaller variants of
282-566: A high metabolic rate for warmth. Otter-human interactions have varied over time, with otters being hunted for their pelts , used in fishing practices in southern Bangladesh, and occasionally attacking humans, though such incidents are rare and often a result of provocation. Otters hold a place in various cultures' mythology and religion, symbolizing different attributes and stories, from Norse mythology to Native American totems and Asian folklore, where they are sometimes believed to possess shapeshifting abilities. The word otter derives from
329-561: A result, the normal gestation period is extended, sometimes up to a year. This allows the young to be born under favourable environmental conditions. Reproduction has a large energy cost, so it is to a female's benefit to have available food and mild weather. The young are more likely to survive if birth occurs after previous offspring have been weaned . Mustelids are predominantly carnivorous, although some eat vegetable matter at times. While not all mustelids share an identical dentition , they all possess teeth adapted for eating flesh, including
376-573: A rocky cairn, more common in Scotland. It is lined with moss and grass. After one month, the pup can leave the holt and after two months, it is able to swim. The pup lives with its family for approximately one year. Otters live up to 16 years; they are by nature playful, and frolic in the water with their pups. Its usual source of food is fish, and further downriver, eels, but it may sample frogs and birds. Otters have long, slim bodies and relatively short limbs. Their most striking anatomical features are
423-574: Is Corumictis wolsani from the early and late Oligocene (early and late Arikareean , Ar1–Ar3) of Oregon . Middle Oligocene Mustelictis from Europe might be a mustelid, as well. Other early fossils of the mustelids were dated at the end of the Oligocene to the beginning of the Miocene. Which of these forms are Mustelidae ancestors and which should be considered the first mustelids is unclear. The fossil record indicates that mustelids appeared in
470-465: Is due to hunting to supply the demand for skins. For many generations, fishermen in southern Bangladesh have bred smooth-coated otters and used them to chase fish into their nets. Once a widespread practice, passed down from father to son throughout many communities in Asia, this traditional use of domesticated wild animals is still in practice in the district of Narail , Bangladesh. A 2011 review by
517-528: Is held to be a clean animal belonging to Ahura Mazda in Zoroastrian belief, and taboo to kill. In popular Korean mythology, it is told that people who see an otter ( soodal ) will attract 'rain clouds' for the rest of their lives. In the Buddhist Jataka tales, The Otters and The Wolf, two otters agreed to let a wolf settle their dispute in dividing their caught fish but it was taken away by
SECTION 10
#1732787237026564-788: The Old English word otor or oter . This and cognate words in other Indo-European languages ultimately stem from the Proto-Indo-European root *wódr̥ , which also gave rise to the English word "water". An otter's den is called a holt, or couch. Male otters are called dogs or boars; females are called bitches or sows; and their offspring are called pups or cubs. The collective nouns for otters are bevy, family, lodge, romp (being descriptive of their often playful nature), or, when in water, raft. The feces of otters are typically identified by their distinctive aroma,
611-492: The cats ) and not the Caniformia (those sharing more recent origins with the dogs ). Because mongooses and mustelids occupy similar ecological niches , convergent evolution has led to similarity in form and behavior. Several mustelids, including the mink, the sable (a type of marten), and the stoat (ermine), possess furs that are considered beautiful and valuable, so have been hunted since prehistoric times. From
658-519: The ferret . Tayra are also kept as pets (although they require a Dangerous Wild Animals licence in the UK), or as working animals for hunting or vermin control. Others have been important in the fur trade —the mink is often raised for its fur . Being one of the most species-rich families in the order Carnivora, the family Mustelidae also is one of the oldest. Mustelid-like forms first appeared about 40 million years ago (Mya), roughly coinciding with
705-432: The fully aquatic sea otter, which is one of the few nonprimate mammals known to use tools while foraging. It uses "anvil" stones to crack open the shellfish that form a significant part of its diet. It is a " keystone species ", keeping its prey populations in balance so some do not outcompete the others and destroy the kelp in which they live. The black-footed ferret is entirely dependent on another keystone species,
752-444: The giant otter and sea otter are the largest. They have very soft, insulated underfur, which is protected by an outer layer of long guard hairs . This traps a layer of air which keeps them dry, warm, and somewhat buoyant under water. Several otter species live in cold waters and have high metabolic rates to help keep them warm. Eurasian otters must eat 15% of their body weight each day, and sea otters 20 to 25%, depending on
799-596: The least weasel can be under 20 cm (8 in) in length, while the giant otter of Amazonian South America can measure up to 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) and sea otters can exceed 45 kg (99 lb) in weight. Wolverines can crush bones as thick as the femur of a moose to get at the marrow , and have been seen attempting to drive bears away from their kills. The sea otter uses rocks to break open shellfish to eat. Martens are largely arboreal , while European badgers dig extensive tunnel networks, called setts . Only one mustelid has been domesticated;
846-795: The mid-Miocene climate transition . Contrary to expectations, Law et al. (2018) found no evidence for rapid bursts of lineage diversification at the origin of the Mustelidae, and further analyses of lineage diversification rates using molecular and fossil-based methods did not find associations between rates of lineage diversification and mid-Miocene climate transition as previously hypothesized. Otter Aonyx Enhydra Hydrictis Lontra Lutra Lutrogale Pteronura † Enhydriodon † Algarolutra † Cyrnaonyx † Megalenhydris † Sardolutra † Siamogale † Teruelictis † Satherium † Enhydritherium Otters are carnivorous mammals in
893-552: The prairie dog . A family of four ferrets eats 250 prairie dogs in a year; this requires a stable population of prairie dogs from an area of some 500 acres (2.0 km ). Skunks were previously included as a subfamily of the mustelids, but DNA research placed them in their own separate family (Mephitidae). Mongooses bear a striking resemblance to many mustelids, but belong to a distinctly different suborder —the Feliformia (all those carnivores sharing more recent origins with
940-536: The subfamily Lutrinae . The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic , aquatic , or marine . Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family , which includes weasels , badgers , mink , and wolverines , among other animals. Otters' habitats include dens known as holts or couches, with their social structure described by terms such as dogs or boars for males, bitches or sows for females, and pups or cubs for offspring. Groups of otters can be referred to as
987-528: The 1700s, although it may have begun well before then. Early hunting methods included darts, arrows, nets and snares but later, traps were set on land and guns used. There has been a long history of otter pelts being worn around the world. In China it was standard for the royalty to wear robes made from them. People that were financially high in status also wore them. The tails of otters were often made into items for men to wear. These included hats and belts. Even some types of mittens for children have been made from
SECTION 20
#17327872370261034-817: The IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group showed that otter attacks reported between 1875 and 2010 occurred most often in Florida , where human and otter populations have substantially increased since 2000, with the majority involving the North American otter. At least 42 instances of attack were found, including one resulting in death and another case of serious injury. Attacking otters had rabies in 36% of anecdotal reports. 80% of otter bite victims do not seek medical treatment. Animal welfare groups say that, unless threatened, otters rarely attack humans. In November 2021, about 20 otters ambushed
1081-758: The North Pacific was the major economic driving force behind Russian expansion into Kamchatka , the Aleutian Islands , and Alaska , as well as a cause for conflict with Japan and foreign hunters in the Kuril Islands . Together with widespread hunting in California and British Columbia, the species was brought to the brink of extinction until an international moratorium came into effect in 1911. Today, some mustelids are threatened for other reasons. Sea otters are vulnerable to oil spills and
1128-480: The air. Striped polecats have been known to communicate with each other using myriad verbal signals and calls. Growls act as a warning to possible predators, competitors, or other enemies to back off. High-pitched screams have been observed as signifying situations of high aggression or accompanying the spraying of anal emissions. An undulating high- to low-pitched scream has been used to convey surrender or submission to an adversary. This call has been noted to accompany
1175-402: The appearance of rodents . The common ancestor of modern mustelids appeared about 18 Mya. Within a large range of variation, the mustelids exhibit some common characteristics. They are typically small animals with elongated bodies, short legs, short skulls, short, round ears, and thick fur. Most mustelids are solitary, nocturnal animals, and are active year-round. With the exception of
1222-650: The cunning wolf. In Japanese, otters are called "kawauso" ( 獺、川獺 ). In Japanese folklore, they fool humans in the same way as foxes ( kitsune ) and tanuki . In the Noto region , Ishikawa Prefecture , there are stories where they shapeshift into beautiful women or children wearing checker-patterned clothing. If a human attempts to speak to one, they will answer "oraya" and then answer "araya," and if anybody asks them anything, they say cryptic things like "kawai." There are darker stories, such as one from Kaga Province (now Ishikawa Prefecture ) in which an otter that lives in
1269-468: The early Middle Ages, the trade in furs was of great economic importance for northern and eastern European nations with large native populations of fur-bearing mustelids, and was a major economic impetus behind Russian expansion into Siberia and French and English expansion in North America. In recent centuries fur farming , notably of mink, has also become widespread and provides the majority of
1316-481: The family Mustelidae include: Multigene phylogenies constructed by Koepfli et al. (2008) and Law et al. (2018) found that Mustelidae comprises eight living subfamilies. The early mustelids appear to have undergone two rapid bursts of diversification in Eurasia, with the resulting species spreading to other continents only later. Mustelid species diversity is often attributed to an adaptive radiation coinciding with
1363-517: The form of an otter. The myth of "Otter's Ransom" is the starting point of the Volsunga saga . In Irish mythology , the character Lí Ban was turned from a woman into a mermaid, half human and half salmon, and given three hundred years of life to roam the oceans. Her lapdog assumed the form of an otter and shared her prolonged lifetime and her extensive wanderings. In some Native American cultures, otters are considered totem animals . The otter
1410-439: The fur brought to market. One species, the sea mink ( Neogale macrodon ) of New England and Canada, was driven to extinction by fur trappers. Its appearance and habits are almost unknown today because no complete specimens can be found and no systematic contemporary studies were conducted. The sea otter , which has the densest fur of any animal, narrowly escaped the fate of the sea mink. The discovery of large populations in
1457-677: The fur of otters. Otters have also been hunted using dogs, especially the otterhound . From 1958 to 1963, the 11 otter hunts in England and Wales killed 1,065 otters between them. In such hunts, the hunters notched their poles after every kill. The prized trophy that hunters would take from the otters was the baculum , which would be worn as a tie-pin . Traffic (the wildlife trade monitoring network) reported that otters are at serious risk in Southeast Asia and have disappeared from parts of their former range. This decline in populations
Striped polecat - Misplaced Pages Continue
1504-519: The indirect effects of overfishing; the black-footed ferret , a relative of the European polecat , suffers from the loss of American prairie ; and wolverine populations are slowly declining because of habitat destruction and persecution. The rare European mink ( Mustela lutreola ) is one of the most endangered mustelid species. The ferret , a domesticated European polecat, is a fairly common pet . The oldest known mustelid from North America
1551-524: The larger of the two sexes. Their specific coloring varies by location. Generally they are black on the underside, white on the tail, with stripes running from their heads down their backs and on their cheeks. The legs and feet are black. Their skulls are usually around 56 mm (2.2 in) long, and they have unique face-mask coloring, often including a white spot on their heads, and white ears. These masks are thought to serve as warnings to potential predators or other antagonists. Like other mustelids ,
1598-724: The late Oligocene period (33 Mya) in Eurasia and migrated to every continent except Antarctica and Australia (all the continents that were connected during or since the early Miocene). They reached the Americas via the Bering land bridge . The 68 recent mustelids (66 extant species) are classified into eight subfamilies in 22 genera: Subfamily Mellivorinae Subfamily Melinae Subfamily Helictidinae Subfamily Guloninae Subfamily Ictonychinae Subfamily Lutrinae ( otters ) Subfamily Mustelinae (weasels, ferrets, and mink) Fossil mustelids Extinct genera of
1645-519: The mother prepares a nest for her offspring. The newborn polecats are completely vulnerable; they are born blind, deaf, and naked. Around one to five offspring are born per litter in the summer. Up to six can be supported at one time, if food is available, because the mother has six teats. The mother protects her young until they are able to survive on their own. The striped polecat is an aggressive and very territorial animal. It marks its territory with its feces and through an anal spray. The spray serves as
1692-400: The powerful webbed feet used to swim, and their seal-like abilities for holding breath underwater. Most have sharp claws on their feet and all except the sea otter have long, muscular tails. The 13 species range in adult size from 0.6 to 1.8 m (2.0 to 5.9 ft) in length and 1 to 45 kg (2.2 to 99.2 lb) in weight. The Asian small-clawed otter is the smallest otter species and
1739-439: The presence of shearing carnassials . One characteristic trait is a meat-shearing upper-back molar that is rotated 90°, towards the inside of the mouth. With variation between species, the most common dental formula is 3.1.3.1 3.1.3.2 . The fisher , tayra, and martens are partially arboreal, while badgers are fossorial . A number of mustelids have aquatic lifestyles, ranging from semiaquatic minks and river otters to
1786-402: The purpose of breeding. It is nocturnal, hunting mostly at night. During the day, it burrows into the brush or sleeps in the burrows of other animals. Most often, striped polecats are found in habitats with large ungulate populations, because of the lower level of shrubs where these grazers occur. After conception, the gestation period for a striped polecat is about 4 weeks. During this time,
1833-460: The savannahs and open country of Central, Southern, and sub-Saharan Africa, excluding the Congo Basin and the more coastal areas of West Africa . Striped polecats are about 60–70 cm (24–28 in) in length, including their tails, and 10–15 cm (3.9–5.9 in) tall to the shoulders on average. They weigh from 0.6 to 1.3 kg (1.3 to 2.9 lb), generally, with the males being
1880-400: The sea otter they have anal scent glands that produce a strong-smelling secretion the animals use for sexual signalling and marking territory . Most mustelid reproduction involves embryonic diapause . The embryo does not immediately implant in the uterus , but remains dormant for some time. No development takes place as long as the embryo remains unattached to the uterine lining. As
1927-400: The smell of which has been described as ranging from freshly mown hay to putrefied fish; these are known as spraints . The gestation period in otters is about 60 to 86 days. The newborn pup is cared for by the bitch, dog, and older offspring. Female otters reach sexual maturity at approximately two years of age and males at approximately three years. The holt is built under tree roots or
Striped polecat - Misplaced Pages Continue
1974-415: The species. Otters are distinguished by their long, slim bodies, powerful webbed feet for swimming, and their dense fur, which keeps them warm and buoyant in water. They are playful animals, engaging in activities like sliding into water on natural slides and playing with stones. There are 13 known species of otters, ranging in size and habitat preferences, with some species adapted to cold waters requiring
2021-469: The striped polecat is a carnivore . It has 34 sharp teeth which are optimal for shearing flesh and grinding meat. Its diet includes various small rodents, snakes, birds, amphibians, and insects. Due to their small stomachs, they must eat often, and have clawed paws that help them dig around in the dirt in pursuit of their next meal. The striped polecat is a solitary creature, often only associating with other members of its species in small family groups or for
2068-489: The subsequent release of the loser. Conversely, a quieter undulating call has been interpreted as functioning as a friendly salutation. Mating calls are common forms of communication between the sexes. Young polecats often have a specific set of calls and signals, used in adolescence, either signifying distress or joy depending on if the mother is absent or present. Mustelidae The Mustelidae ( / m ʌ ˈ s t ɛ l ɪ d iː / ; from Latin mustela , weasel) are
2115-727: The temperature. In water as warm as 10 °C (50 °F), an otter needs to catch 100 g (3.5 oz) of fish per hour to survive. Most species hunt for three to five hours each day and nursing mothers up to eight hours each day. For most otters, fish is the staple of their diet. This is often supplemented by frogs, crayfish and crabs . Some otters are experts at opening shellfish , and others will feed on available small mammals or birds. Prey-dependence leaves otters very vulnerable to prey depletion. Sea otters are hunters of clams , sea urchins and other shelled creatures. They are notable for their ability to use stones to break open shellfish on their bellies. This skill must be learned by
2162-1008: The water. They may also find and play with small stones. Different species vary in their social structure, some being largely solitary, while others live in groups – in a few species these groups may be fairly large. Giant otter ( Pteronura brasiliensis ) North American river otter ( Lontra canadensis ) Marine otter ( Lontra felina ) Southern river otter ( Lontra provocax ) Neotropical otter ( Lontra longicaudis ) Sea otter ( Enhydra lutris ) Spotted-necked otter ( Hydrictis maculicollis ) Eurasian otter ( Lutra lutra ) Hairy-nosed otter ( Lutra sumatrana ) Japanese otter † ( Lutra nippon ) Lutra euxena † Lutra castiglionis † Lutra simplicidens † Lutra trinacriae † African clawless otter ( Aonyx capensis ) Asian small-clawed otter ( Aonyx cinerea ) Congo clawless otter ( Aonyx congicus ) Smooth-coated otter ( Lutrogale perspicillata ) Subfamily Lutrinae Otters have been hunted for their pelts from at least
2209-529: The young. Otters are active hunters, chasing prey in the water or searching the beds of rivers, lakes or the seas. Most species live beside water, but river otters usually enter it only to hunt or travel, otherwise spending much of their time on land to prevent their fur becoming waterlogged. Sea otters are considerably more aquatic and live in the ocean for most of their lives. Otters are playful animals and appear to engage in various behaviors for sheer enjoyment, such as making waterslides and sliding on them into
#25974