Ferret-badger

Ferret-badger
Chinese ferret-badger (Melogale moschata) at Prague Zoo
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Mustelidae
Subfamily:	Helictidinae J.E.Gray, 1865
Genus:	Melogale I. Saint-Hilaire, 1831
Type species
Melogale personata
Species
Melogale everetti Melogale moschata Melogale subaurantiaca Melogale orientalis Melogale personata Melogale cucphuongensis
Melogale distribution

Ferret-badgers are the six species of the genus Melogale, which is the only genus of the monotypic mustelid subfamily Helictidinae.

• Bornean ferret-badger (Melogale everetti)
• Chinese ferret-badger (Melogale moschata)
• Formosan ferret-badger (Melogale subaurantiaca)
• Javan ferret-badger (Melogale orientalis)
• Burmese ferret-badger (Melogale personata)
• Vietnam ferret-badger (Melogale cucphuongensis)

Description and etymology

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.

Human impact

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.

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	Size: 33–44 cm (13–17 in) long, plus 15–23 cm (6–9 in) tail Habitat: Forest and shrubland Diet: Primarily eats invertebrates, amphibians, insects, fruit, and carrion	EN  Unknown
Burmese ferret-badger	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	Size: 33–44 cm (13–17 in) long, plus 15–23 cm (6–9 in) tail Habitat: Grassland, shrubland, and forest Diet: Primarily eats insects and snails, as well as small mammals, frogs, lizards, carrion, birds, eggs, and fruit	LC  Unknown
Chinese ferret-badger	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	Size: 30–43 cm (12–17 in) long, plus 15–21 cm (6–8 in) tail Habitat: Forest, shrubland, and grassland Diet: Primarily eats insects, frogs, and carrion	LC  Unknown
Javan ferret-badger	M. orientalis (Blanford, 1888) Two subspecies M. o. orientalis M. o. sundaicus	Parts of Java and Bali	Size: 35–40 cm (14–16 in) long, plus 14–17 cm (6–7 in) tail Habitat: Shrubland and forest Diet: Primarily eats invertebrates and insects	LC  Unknown
Vietnam ferret-badger	M. cucphuongensis T. Nadler, 2011	Vietnam	Size: Unknown Habitat: Forest Diet: Unknown	DD  Unknown