The predatory family of mustelids includes a large number of phylogenetically related species, which differ quite significantly in body structure and lifestyle.
The predominant number of representatives are small and very small, there are, of course, medium ones, but there are not many of them. The body length of such animals ranges from fifteen to 120 (sometimes up to 150) cm. The weight of representatives varies from 100 grams to 40 kilograms. As a rule, their body is very elongated and quite flexible. A predator of the mustelid family with a short and massive body is a rather rare phenomenon.
Representatives of the family are distinguished by developed hair. In many species that live in the north in winter, it is very fluffy and thick. In the south, some representatives have a body covered with coarse, almost bristly hair. The colors can be different: spotted, plain, striped. It happens that there is an animal of the mustelid family whose fur is lighter underneath than on top. Depending on the season, representatives may change in thickness and fluffiness of fur. Some species change their color to snow-white in winter.
As a rule, all mustelids lead a terrestrial existence, climb trees well, some can dig quite deep burrows, and also get food from underground.
Mustelids are widespread. They are found on all continents except Australia.
The mustelidae family is one of the richest in the number of genera and species in the order of predators. It contains approximately 70 species, which are grouped into 25 genera and five subfamilies. The first of them is called martens. It includes approximately 33 species and ten genera.
Ermine
The ermine is similar in appearance to the weasel, with an average body length of 30 cm.
This animal is predatory and feeds on rodents. Sometimes it destroys nests. In times of hunger, it can eat frogs; if they are not available, then it eats garbage and juniper berries. It reproduces once a year, the duration of pregnancy is approximately 9.5 months. There is an average of five babies in a litter.
This representative is active at different times of the day.
Musteluns
There are more than 50 species in the family. The species included in the mustelid family differ greatly in body structure, lifestyle, and adaptive features to the environment. The family includes small (the smallest in the order) or medium-sized predators. Body length from 11 (lesser weasel) to 150 cm (sea otter), weight from 25 g to 45 kg. Males are on average 25% larger than females. The body is usually very elongated, flexible, less often relatively short, massive (badger, wolverine). The limbs are short, digitigrade or plantigrade, five-fingered. The claws are not retractable; some species have folds of skin (webbed) between the toes. The soles of the limbs are covered with hair, have bare pads, or are completely bare. The sea otter's limbs are greatly modified: the hind ones have turned into flippers, and the front fingers are shortened and connected to each other.
The head is usually small, on a short but very mobile neck. Eyes are medium sized or large. The ears are small, rarely large, with rounded tops. In aquatic species, the auricles are greatly reduced. The fur is usually thick, fluffy, with a soft undercoat. The fur color is varied: single-color, two-color, striped, spotted. The lushness and thickness of the coat varies greatly with the seasons; The ermine's color turns snow-white in winter. Special anal glands secrete a secretion with a pungent odor, which American stinking badgers, like skunks, can spray over a considerable distance.
Among the representatives of the family there are terrestrial, semi-arboreal, semi-aquatic and almost aquatic forms. They inhabit a wide variety of landscapes, ranging from tundra to deserts and from the foothills of mountains to alpine meadows. As a rule, they lead a solitary territorial lifestyle, sometimes in families and very rarely form small groups. For example, in part of their range, badgers live in groups of several males and females, while in other populations they live in pairs or alone.
By nature of nutrition, most species are predators, but they also eat plant foods. Some have a tendency to be omnivorous. They hunt mainly small mammals; Otters feed on fish, crustaceans and aquatic invertebrates. Species of the genus Mustela and wolverine provide food supplies. As a rule, mustelids lead a sedentary lifestyle. Usually dug holes serve as a refuge for them. They are active mainly at night, partly at dusk. Of the sense organs, hearing is the best developed; some also have the sense of smell.
Most species are polygamous. They breed during a specific season, usually lasting 3-4 months. Many mustelids are characterized by delayed embryo implantation, lasting up to 10 months (badger). The pregnancy itself lasts from 30 to 65 days. Females give birth to one litter per year, which contains 1-14 cubs. Cubs are born blind and naked; mothers take care of them for up to 2 months. Sexual maturity in young animals occurs between 8 months and 2 years. Life expectancy in nature is from 5 to 20 years.
Ferrets
Ferrets are very close to the norm. There are three known types of them: steppe, blackfoot and black. The first is the largest, body length up to 56 cm, weight up to two kg. Slightly smaller black ferrets. Their body length is 48 cm and their weight is no more than 1.5 kg.
The main diet of all three species is rodents. The black ferret, as a rule, prefers mice and voles, while the steppe ferret prefers hamsters and gophers. Prairie dogs are what the Blackfeet prefer.
These representatives of the family (especially the steppe ones) live near lakes and rivers.
European mink
Kingdom: Animalia.
Phylum: Chordata. Class: Mammals (Mammalia). Order: Carnivora (Carnivora). Family: Mustelidae. Genus: Ferrets (Mustela).
Species: European mink (Mustela lutreola).
Listed in the Red Book of Russia
The European mink is listed in the IUCN Red Book, as well as in the Red Books of the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Komi Republic, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the Orenburg, Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk regions.
The subspecies Caucasian European mink (Mustela lutreola turovi) is listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation. The population of the European mink is in great danger: in the entire European part of Russia and neighboring countries of Europe, this species is constantly crowding out and oppressing the larger, aggressive and viable American mink. The American mink was introduced into the European fauna in the 1920s as an animal that was more suitable for furriers and furriers. From that moment on, the extinction of the smaller and weaker endemic of the European continent began.
The American mink does not physically destroy the European mink: the American and European minks mate successfully, but the hybrid embryos, having begun to develop, die after some time. The start of the rut for the American mink occurs about a month earlier than for the European mink, so it turns out that the males of the European mink simply do not find uncovered partners.
European mink habitats
The European mink always lives near water.
She prefers clean forest rivers with an abundance of fish, crayfish and shellfish, which she feeds on. There are three isolated ranges of the European mink, one of which covers parts of France and Spain. Further, it is found from Germany north to Finland and east across Poland, Lithuania, Belarus, as well as throughout the European part of Russia. A small range is located in the Caucasus.
Appearance
The European mink is a small animal weighing from 0.5 to 0.8 kg, similar to a ferret.
The mink has membranes on its paws that allow it to swim well. It is distinguished from the American mink, which can weigh up to 1.5 kg, by its smaller size and lighter color. In addition, the white spots of the European mink are located on both lips, while in the American mink only on the lower one.
Lifestyle and biology
The diet of the European mink includes fish and crayfish, insects, and mouse-like rodents.
A wounded bird and bird eggs are a desirable delicacy for her. Minks are sedentary animals, very attached to a specific section of their river. Only males dare to migrate over long distances during the rutting season.
Mating in minks occurs in early spring. At this time, the activity of the animals increases sharply; they often travel several kilometers. The duration of pregnancy in European mink is 42–46 days. Cubs (from three to seven are born) appear in May and June, at the age of two to three months they become independent, and a year later they reach sexual maturity. A forest river is considered very clean if a mink lives near it.
Martens
Now we will talk about stone and pine martens. These animals are much larger than ferrets. The body length of the stone marten is on average 45 cm, and its weight is no more than 2.5 kg. Lesnaya is a little smaller. Its body length is on average 44 cm, and its weight ranges from 750 to 1500 grams. The body of martens is strong, slender, the ears are large and erect. The differences between these species are in the structure of the teeth and skull. A more southern species is the stone marten.
As the name implies, the forest one lives in forests littered with dark coniferous and mixed ones. Sometimes the stone one lives in such areas, but more often it can be seen on treeless rocky slopes. As a rule, they are active at night, although they can also be found during the day.
The pine marten eats rodents and sometimes hares. The stone one eats the same way, but in its diet the lion's share is occupied by plant foods. The rut occurs between June and August. An average of five babies are born per litter
The most beautiful representatives of the mustelid family (Top 17)
We begin to think about representatives of the mustelid family when we need some kind of warm and fashionable fur coat, but we haven’t even thought about how interesting these animals are in behavioral terms. In my Top 17 , I decided to bring together all the brightest representatives of one of the most numerous species of mammals in the order of carnivores - the mustelidae family . Let's admire and admire these animals in their usual habitat.
See also: The most beautiful animals of Australia, The most beautiful bears
17. Wolverine
A predatory mammal of the mustelid family, the only representative of the genus. A large representative of the mustelid subfamily. In size, it is second only to the sea otter in the mustelid family. It is distributed in the taiga, forest-tundra and partly in the tundra of Eurasia and North America. A strong, cautious and at the same time daring animal, leading a solitary lifestyle. Constantly wanders in search of prey in its individual area, which occupies up to 1500-2000 km². Omnivorous, does not disdain carrion, and can take food from other predators. Wolverine cubs taken from the wild adapt very well to humans and become completely tame and not vicious. Wolverines live on average 15-17 years in captivity, in the wild about 10.
16. Honey badger (bald badger or ratel)
A species from the mustelidae family, native to Africa and Asia. Honey badgers live in various climate zones, including steppes, forests and mountainous areas up to 3000 meters. However, they avoid regions that are too hot or humid, such as deserts or tropical forests. It is classified as a separate genus and a separate subfamily. They are active mainly at dusk or at night, but in unspoiled regions or in cool weather they can be seen during the day. For sleeping, they use self-dug holes ranging from one to three meters deep. In search of food, they move on the ground, but sometimes they also climb trees, especially when they want to get to the honey, which gives them their name. Honey badgers are considered very fearless and even aggressive animals that have almost no natural enemies. Their very thick skin cannot be pierced even by the teeth of predatory large cats and poisonous snakes, as well as the quills of porcupines. In addition, they can, like skunks, emit a foul odor if they are attacked. Their prey includes various rodents, as well as juveniles of larger species such as foxes or antelopes.
15. Otter (common or river otter, or otter)
A species of predatory mammals of the mustelid family, leading a semi-aquatic lifestyle; one of three species of the otter genus. According to statistical data in Russia in 2006, the otter population was about 15 thousand individuals. In America, there are approximately 70 thousand in Alaska and Washington state, as well as Colombia, 2.5 thousand off the coast of California and about ten in Japan. There are approximately 88 thousand otters in the world, which is only a fifth of the number in the mid-18th century. It lives mainly in forest rivers rich in fish, less often in lakes and ponds. Found on the sea coast. It prefers rivers with whirlpools, with rapids that do not freeze in winter, with washed-out banks littered with windbreaks, where there are many reliable shelters and places for making burrows. Otter fur is very beautiful and durable. Its wearability in the fur industry is taken as 100%. During the processing process, the coarse awn is plucked out and a short, thick, delicate underfur remains. Otter fur coats are one of the most durable and durable - they can be worn for up to thirty seasons, especially if the otter is a sea otter. Hunting and the use of pesticides in agriculture have reduced the number of otters. In 2000, the common otter was listed as a "vulnerable" species on the World Conservation Union's red list.
14. Grison (Huron)
A genus of mammals from the mustelidae family common in Central and South America. They live in Central and South America. They are not picky in their choice of habitat and are found both in tropical forests and in other types of forests, as well as in open prairie. They are omnivores and feed mainly on small mammals. Their prey includes mice, agoutis, chinchillas and viscachas. Sometimes they eat birds and their eggs, reptiles, invertebrates and fruits. In South America, grisons are domesticated in some places and are used for hunting rodents, which is reminiscent of forest ferrets. Both species are relatively widespread and are not considered threatened.
13. Sea otter (sea beaver, Kamchatka beaver or sea otter)
A predatory marine mammal of the mustelid family, a species close to otters. The sea otter has a number of unique features of adaptation to the marine environment, and is also one of the few non-primate animals that use tools. Sea otters live on the northern shores of the Pacific Ocean in Russia, Japan, the USA and Canada. In the 18th-19th centuries, sea otters were subjected to predatory extermination because of their valuable fur, as a result of which the species was on the verge of extinction. In the 20th century, sea otters were listed in the Red Book of the USSR, as well as in the protection documents of other countries. As of 2009, hunting sea otters is virtually prohibited in all regions of the world. Only the indigenous population of Alaska, the Aleuts, are allowed to hunt sea otters, and exclusively to support the folk crafts and food diet that have historically developed in this region. Sea otter fur is exceptionally thick. Its density—up to 50 thousand hairs per cm²—provides an air gap and protects the animal from the cold. They lead a predominantly diurnal lifestyle, spending most of their time in the water. Sea otters are extremely friendly animals both towards each other and towards other animals, except those that are part of their diet. The sea otter's diet includes more than 40 species of sea animals - sea urchins and crabs, cephalopods and gastropods, mussels, abalones, scallops, chitons, and several types of fish.
12. American badger
A species of the weasel family, the only species of the Badger genus. Distributed in North America in Mexico, the USA and Canada. The weight of wild animals is up to 12 kg, in captivity - up to 18 kg. It is found mainly in mixed and taiga forests, less often in mountain forests. The badger lives in deep burrows, which it digs along the slopes of sandy hills, forest ravines and gullies. Animals stick to their favorite places from generation to generation. The badger is nocturnal, although it can often be seen during daylight hours. It is omnivorous: it feeds on mouse-like rodents, frogs, lizards, birds and their eggs, insects and their larvae, mollusks, earthworms, mushrooms, berries, nuts and grass. This is the only representative of the mustelids that hibernates during the winter. By destroying insect pests, especially chafer larvae, badgers bring great benefits to agriculture. The skin of a badger is of little value; hair is used to make brushes. Badger fat has healing properties, and the meat is edible.
11. African ferret (zorilla or zorilla)
A predatory mammal of the mustelid family. The name zorilla comes from the Spanish word zorro (fox). The African ferret, like most mustelids, protects itself from enemies with the help of anal glands, which secrete a smelly secretion, while its smell is not inferior to the secretion secreted by a skunk. Life expectancy in captivity is up to 15 years.
10. Columns
A species of predatory mammals from the genus weasels and polecats. According to genetic characteristics, this species is closest to the European mink, so sometimes they are combined into one subgenus. Some scientists distinguish the Sakhalin weasel as a separate species called itatsi. Mainly native to Asia. It is distributed along the slopes of the Himalayas, in a large part of China, in Japan, on the Korean Peninsula, the south of the Far East, in Southern and Central Siberia up to the Urals. It prefers forests - dark coniferous or, conversely, deciduous, teeming with small rodents - but mainly near rivers and lakes. The Siberian weasel is often found in populated areas, where it catches rats and mice, and at the same time attacks poultry. The main competitor is the sable, which drives the sable from the lands it occupies. With a lack of rodents, the kolinsky fish begins to fish. Soft brushes are made from the hairs of the column's tail.
9. Weasel
A predatory mammal of the weasel family, a species of the genus Weasels and ferrets. Found on all continents of the Northern Hemisphere. The smallest representative of the order of carnivores. The structure of the long, flexible body and the color of the fur are very similar to the ermine, but differ in its small size and shorter, and most importantly, monochromatic tail; She does not have a black tassel on her tail. Lives in fields and forests, in mountainous and lowland areas, without avoiding populated areas. It settles under stones, in hollows, in ruins, in burrows, barns, etc. The nest is lined with dry grass, moss, leaves of chestnuts and ferns. The weasel is very dexterous and agile, runs fast, climbs and swims well, is distinguished by great courage and aggressiveness and is a dangerous enemy for all small animals; Its food consists of house mice, field and forest mice, rats, moles, young rabbits, chickens, pigeons, as well as lizards, copperheads, snakes, even vipers, frogs, and insects. The weasel is very difficult to tame.
8. Ermine
Valuable fur-bearing animal of the mustelidae family. Similar to a weasel, but slightly larger in size. The fur color is protective: pure white in winter, two-colored in summer. It lives in the arctic, subarctic and temperate zones of Eurasia and North America. In Europe, it is found from Scandinavia to the Pyrenees and the Alps, with the exception of Albania, Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey. It is most numerous in forest-steppe, taiga and tundra regions. Their choice of habitat is determined by the abundance of their main food - small rodents. As a rule, the ermine prefers to settle close to water: along the banks and floodplains of rivers and streams, near forest lakes, along coastal meadows, thickets of bushes and reeds. This small predator is very brave and bloodthirsty; in a desperate situation, he risks throwing himself even at a person. Natural enemies of the ermine include red and gray foxes, martens, elka, sable, American badger, birds of prey; occasionally he is caught by ordinary cats. Ermine is a commercial object (the fur is used as a finishing fur). Useful for killing mouse-like rodents. It was unsuccessfully introduced to New Zealand to control the rabbit population; here it multiplied and turned into a pest, destroying the young and eggs of native birds, in particular kiwi.
7. Mink
A predatory mammal from the mustelid family; characterized by a swimming membrane between the toes. Excellent swimmer and diver. Found in Eastern Europe, along river banks, it feeds on fish, frogs, and crayfish. For a long time it was the object of fishing because of its valuable fur. Currently, its numbers are declining everywhere due to displacement by the American mink. However, according to some researchers, the decline in numbers began even before the introduction of the American mink and may be due to some other reasons. The species is listed in the IUCN Red Book, the Red Books of the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Komi Republic, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the Orenburg, Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk regions.
6. Ferret
Inhabitant of the Eurasian continent. It has a domesticated form - the ferret, or albino ferret. They interbreed freely and give different color variations. The ferret is a valuable fur-bearing animal, but due to its relatively low numbers there is no special trade for it. Rural residents do not like the ferret because of the damage it causes to the poultry industry. This small predator brings benefits by exterminating mouse-like rodents. Most of all they like to settle in small forest areas and individual groves mixed with fields and meadows (they avoid continuous taiga areas). The ferret is called an “edge” predator, since forest edges are its typical hunting ground. The black ferret's main diet consists of voles and mice; in the summer, the black ferret often catches frogs, toads, young water rats, as well as snakes, wild birds, large insects (locusts, etc.), penetrates hare holes and strangles young hares. When it settles near a person, it can attack poultry and rabbits.
5. Pine marten (yellow marten)
It lives in Europe and western parts of Asia and inhabits mainly forest areas. Unlike its relative the stone marten, the pine marten avoids human settlements. It has a yellowish round throat spot, which, unlike the spot on the stone marten, is not forked. The habitat of these animals is forests, primarily deciduous and mixed. In mountainous areas it occurs up to altitudes where trees still grow. Pine martens are animals with pronounced territorial behavior, marking their range with the help of a secretion secreted by the anal gland. Pine martens are omnivores, but prefer small mammals (such as voles and squirrels), as well as birds and their eggs. Previously, pine marten fur was valued much more than stone marten fur. As a result of intensive hunting, pine martens have become rare animals in many areas, although due to their wide distribution area they are generally not considered endangered. The reduction of habitat is problematic, since pine martens need healthy forests.
4. Sable
A typical inhabitant of the Siberian taiga. In the eastern Urals, a hybrid of sable and marten, called kidus, is sometimes found. Agile and very strong predator for its size. Has well-developed hearing and sense of smell, but vision is weaker. It lives in cedar trees, in the upper reaches of mountain rivers, close to the ground - in thickets of dwarf trees, among stone deposits, and occasionally rises into the crowns of trees. The diet is dominated by mouse-like rodents. Because of its beautiful, durable and expensive fur, sable is called the king of wild furs - “soft gold”. The darker the sable, the more valuable its skin is. The Barguzin sable, which lives in the Baikal forests, is the darkest sable found in Siberia and is therefore especially prized at international fur auctions. The most important game species of the region is the basis for the well-being of commercial hunting in the taiga zone. The Krasnoyarsk Territory produces about 33% of the all-Russian sable production and is in first place in this regard. Sable is found not only in Russia, but also in the neighboring countries of North Korea, Mongolia and China.
3. Tyra
A species of predatory mammals from the mustelidae family, common in Central and South America. Forms a separate genus and is a close relative of European martens. The main habitat is primarily tropical forests. They are active mainly at night and are found both on the ground and in trees. They climb well and can cover considerable distances by jumping. In addition, they are good swimmers. Tyras are omnivores, but the bulk of their food consists of small mammals. Some indigenous peoples have managed to domesticate tair to control rodent pests in settlements. Unlike introduced martens, tayras do not enter chicken coops and do not kill birds. In most regions of South America, the tayra is the most common predator. You can often see her, as she is not afraid of human intimacy.
2. Dressing (re-dressing)
A species of mammal from the mustelidae family. Lives in Eastern Europe, Western and Central Asia. They inhabit dry areas where there are no trees, such as steppes, semi-deserts and deserts. The lifestyle of the bandaged ferret is similar to that of the steppe ferret. They are active mainly at dusk or at night, and occasionally go hunting in the daytime. As a rule, they spend the day in their burrow, which they either dug themselves or adopted from other animals. In case of danger, they can spray an extremely unpleasant-smelling secretion into the air from their anal gland. Their food includes mainly gerbils, voles, ground squirrels, hamsters, as well as birds, various small vertebrates and insects. In the 20th century, the population of bandages declined rapidly. The reason for this was not so much the hunting for their fur, which is not very highly valued compared to the fur of other mustelids, but the transformation of their habitat into agricultural land.
1. Kharza (yellow-breasted or Ussuri marten)
A predatory mammal of the mustelid family. The largest and brightly colored representative of the marten genus, sometimes classified as a separate genus. In Russia it is found in the Amur region, in the Ussuri River basin and on Sikhote-Alin in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. As well as Indochina, the foothills of the Himalayas, Iran, Turkey, China and the Korean Peninsula. A separate isolated habitat area is located in the south of the Hindustan Peninsula. Widely distributed in Nepal and Pakistan, often lives in Afghanistan and Georgia. Kharza is a typical animal of coniferous and mixed forests. One of the most powerful predators of the Ussuri taiga. It feeds on rodents (squirrels, mice, chipmunks), grasshoppers, mollusks, hares, and birds (hazel grouse, pheasants). It also attacks young ungulates - wild boar, wapiti, elk, roe deer, sika deer, goral. Often attacks raccoon dogs, weasels and sables. Consumes berries and pine nuts in small quantities; feasts on honeycombs. But the most favorite prey of the harza is musk deer. Unlike other martens, in winter the kharza can hunt in groups of 3-5 individuals. The commercial value of the harza is very small, since it is rare, and its rough skin is of little value.
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Ermine or weasel?
The ermine and the weasel are two outwardly similar furry animals. Ermine The ermine is a predatory animal of the mustelidae family. The ermine lives in forest-steppe, taiga and tundra areas. In the arctic, subarctic and temperate zones of Eurasia and North America. In Europe, the animal is found from Scandinavia to the Pyrenees and the Alps. In Asia, stoat populations range as far as the deserts of Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Northeast China and northern Japan. It is also found in North America. In Russia, the ermine lives almost throughout the entire territory, except for the mountains and steppes, where there is forest. The ermine is an animal with a long body on short legs, a long neck and a triangular head with small rounded ears. The body length of the male is 17-38 cm (females are about half as long), the length of the tail is about 35% of the body length - 6-12 cm; body weight - from 70 to 260 g. The fur color is protective: in winter it is pure white, in summer it is two-colored - the upper body is brownish-red, the underside is yellowish-white. Winter color is typical for areas where there is snow for at least 40 days a year. The tip of the tail is black throughout the year. Geographical variability in the quality of winter fur, the color of summer fur and body size allows us to distinguish about 26 subspecies of ermine. The stoat is a dexterous and skilled predator; its main prey is rodents. But it can also hunt rabbits, young hares and birds. The ermine hunts mainly at night and or at dusk, but can also go hunting during the day. It can penetrate rodent burrows for prey if its size allows. Moreover, an ermine can settle in the same hole. Stoats themselves do not dig holes, and can make nests anywhere: in a haystack, in a pile of fallen tree trunks, in hollows. If there is a lot of food, then stoats make supplies. Female stoats insulate their nests with the skins of killed rodents or dry grass. Stoats have a solitary lifestyle; they live and hunt in their own territory, which they periodically walk around and mark. Males and females meet only during the mating period. Pregnancy in females with a long latent stage (8-9 months) - embryos do not develop until March. In total, it lasts 9-10 months, so the cubs appear in April - May of the following year. The number of cubs in litters ranges from 3 to 18, with an average of 4-9. Only the female is engaged in them. Newborns weigh 3-4 g with a body length of 32-51 mm, are born blind, toothless, with closed ear canals and covered with sparse white hair. At 30-41 days they begin to see clearly, and at 2-3 months they are indistinguishable in size from adults. At the end of June - in July they already hunt on their own and a little later begin an independent life. The ermine was hunted and hunted for a long time because of its fur. For this reason, the number of stoats has decreased greatly, and in some places its populations have disappeared altogether.
Weasel Weasel is a predatory animal of the mustelidae family. Found in almost all regions of the northern hemisphere. Found in Europe, Northern Asia and North America. In Russia it lives everywhere, even in the north. Lives in fields and forests, in mountainous and lowland areas, without avoiding populated areas. It settles under stones, in hollows, in ruins, in burrows, barns, etc. The nest is lined with dry grass, moss, leaves of chestnuts and ferns. In the wild, weasels can live up to 5 years, but the average life expectancy does not exceed 1 year. The weasel is the smallest mammalian predator. Body weight of males is 60-250 g, females 30-108 g, body length of males is 160-260 mm, females 114-212 mm, tail length in males is 12-87 mm, in females 17-64 mm. It moves in jumps 25-30 cm long. The weasel's body is thin and long, with short legs armed with very sharp claws, an elongated head, small round ears, and a blunt and slightly forked nose at the end. At the base of the tail there are glands that secrete a liquid with an unpleasant odor. The weasel is a ferocious predator, despite its small size it destroys rodents. For this reason, attempts were often made to domesticate it. But the weasel is difficult to tame, and cats have taken this place in human life. The weasel is partial to horses and the horse's smell; she tickles the horses, bringing them to the point of exhaustion, so that they become covered in foam. The only way to get a weasel out of the stable is by using a smell that she doesn’t like.
Differences between weasel and ermine: Externally, weasel and ermine are very similar. Both in body structure and habits. But stoats are larger and stronger than weasels. The main feature by which you can distinguish a weasel from an ermine is the tip of the tail. The weasel's entire tail is one color, but the ermine's tail tip is always black, both in winter and summer. The weasel's tail is thinner and shorter. While stoats lead a solitary lifestyle, weasels can form colonies.
General characteristics of the family
There are approximately 57 species in 24 genera in the Mustelidae family. This includes:
- weasels, minks and hori (23 species in 7 genera);
- martens (8 species in two genera);
- wolverine (1 species);
- otters (13 species in 7 genera);
- badgers (10 species in 6 genera).
Until recently, skunks were also classified as mustelids, but genetic and molecular studies have given grounds to classify them as a separate family.
The size of mustelids varies greatly. For example, the body weight of a weasel does not exceed 60 grams, while the body weight of a sea otter (sea otter) can reach 45 kg.
Almost all mustelids are characterized by an elongated body shape and short, digitigrade or plantigrade, five-fingered limbs. Species adapted to living in an aquatic environment have swimming membranes between their toes.
Most members of the family are distinguished by long, sharp fangs and cutting carnassial teeth. The maximum number of teeth in mustelids is 38.
The calling card of the family in question is thick fur with a soft undercoat. Its color can be different, and its splendor and thickness depend on the season - in winter it is even softer and thicker.
Mustelids are found on every continent except Antarctica and Australia. Three species have been introduced to New Zealand. Their habitats are very diverse. These are forests, mountains, deserts and semi-deserts, steppes, tundra.
Most lead a terrestrial lifestyle, many climb trees well, and some know how to dig deep holes. Some species have, to one degree or another, adapted to the aquatic lifestyle.
By nature of nutrition, most species are carnivores, but sometimes they also eat plant foods.
Mustelids are characterized by a predominantly solitary lifestyle. Only a few otters and the common badger show signs of sociality. Usually, when meeting relatives, representatives of the family show hostility. Only during the breeding season does a temporary truce between the sexes occur.
All mustelids have a developed communication system based on the transmission of chemical signals. These animals leave scent marks in the form of urine, feces and skin gland secretions in easily visible places. The Latin name for mustelids, Mustelidae, refers to “musk,” the strong-smelling secretions of the anal glands. This musty smell, characteristic of mustelids, is useful to them in many ways, for example, to mark the place where meat is hidden for future use, and, in addition, to make this meat unappetizing to other animals, to attract mating partners, to “stake out” a hunting area, to warn strangers and prevent attacks from enemies.
As for reproduction, mustelids are characterized by an extended gestation period. For example, in stoats and long-tailed weasels, implantation of fertilized eggs occurs almost a year after mating. The American mink, unlike the European mink, also has a delay in implantation, but only by 7-30 days. And with the ligation, the timing of the birth of the cubs depends on the weather preceding implantation. Probably, the delay in fetal development allows females to vary the date of birth of the cubs, timing it to the most favorable conditions.
Educational resource about culture, science and art
Author of the article: Sergey Kuriy Article from the “Cultural Zoology”
The diversity of mustelids is the envy of all other families of the carnivorous order.
Firstly, it is the most numerous in its composition and includes 56 species (this is without skunks, which tireless zoologists have recently identified as a separate family).
Secondly, its representatives have mastered almost all natural niches - they successfully jump in the mountains, climb trees, dig holes and swim well, both in rivers and in the seas.
Thirdly, many mustelids are characterized by the so-called. latent pregnancy. That is, fertilized eggs are in no hurry to divide and develop, but wait for a favorable moment. It’s as if a couple of students conceived a child, and he was born when the couple decided that their career was made and their everyday life was settled. For example, in badgers, pregnancy can last 4-5 months, in a marten - 236-276 days, and in an ermine - almost a year (although the actual development of the fetus takes only 26-27 days).
Weasel, stoat and ferret
“Making his way through the bushes, the wolf cub suddenly heard a piercing, ferocious cry. ...At that same moment, a yellow spot flashed before the wolf cub’s eyes again. He heard a fierce cry, something hit him hard on the head, and the sharp teeth of the mother weasel dug into his neck. ... The wolf cub did not yet know that the little weasel is one of the most ferocious, vengeful and terrible predators of the Northern wilderness.” (Jack London "White Fang")
Mustelidae predators are excellent. For the most part, these are energetic, dexterous animals with a flexible, elongated body, small ears and sharp teeth. And size doesn't matter here.
Weasel.
Take caress, for example. Don't look at her name being that. Don't look at the fact that it's no bigger than a pencil. This baby's character is fierce and courageous. There are known cases when weasels killed prey x number of times larger than it was - a hare, a pigeon, a chicken. Yes, and she can rush at a person if he has driven her into a corner - she won’t bite her to death, but she can easily bite through a finger.
Weasel.
Although, of course, the main diet of the weasel is more adequate for its weight category. There is no mercy for mice from this predator - you can’t hide from it either under the snow or in a hole - it will crawl through everywhere, find you everywhere. It is not for nothing that until the 9th century, until cats were domesticated in Europe, it was weasels and ferrets that played the role of guardians of the house from rodents.
The strength and ferocity of the weasel have long been valued and even exaggerated. For example, Pliny the Elder wrote that only a weasel can defeat the monster Basilisk.
The weasel attacks the Basilisk.
And in Japanese folklore there is a character named Kama-Itachi. More precisely, this is not a character, but characters - three weasels with razor-sharp claws that rush around like a furious whirlwind. Here comes a Japanese man, something passes by him - whoosh! However, the Japanese have strange folklore...
Kama-itachi.
Although European fantasies are no less strange.
Plutarch “On Isis and Osiris”: “To this day, many people think and say that a caress conceives through the ear, and gives birth through the mouth, and that this is similar to the birth of a word.”
In ancient times, due to its spindle-shaped body, the weasel was often identified with a snake. But even more often it symbolized femininity (there is often a plot about the transformation of this animal into a female temptress and vice versa). For example, in one of Aesop's fables, a weasel fell in love with a young man. The goddess Aphrodite took pity on her and turned the weasel into a girl. However, already in the bedroom with her lover, the girl saw a mouse and, unable to resist, rushed at it. Aphrodite got angry and again returned the weasel to her bestial form. And Aesop added a moral: “So people who are bad by nature, no matter how they change their appearance, cannot change their character.”
Weasel.
The Slavs have another belief associated with affection. It was believed that she was a mysterious “master” who came to the stables at night and drove and tormented horses until the morning. The next morning the peasant looks - the horse is standing in the stall, and his back is covered in soap, and his mane is tangled in braids. It was believed that only the smell of a goat could drive the “owner” away from the horses.
A. N. Tolstoy “Boss”: “Karakovy hid in a corner. “Little little crow, little falcon,” the “master” creaked, “I’ll braid your mane, “are you afraid of me?” Why did you call the goat? Don’t call the goat, don’t scare me...” and, with a twist, a pluck, he grabbed the black one.”
There may well be a rational explanation for this belief. After all, while chasing mice around the stable, the animal could easily jump onto the horse’s croup, disturbing and frightening the animal.
And yet, why “weasel”? There is no clear answer, although there are plenty of versions. Some suggest that the name is consonant with the word “swallow” (in Slavic languages the animal is also called “lastka”, “lastitsa”, “lastovitsa”), which replaced the real taboo name of weasel. Others believe that the name comes from the word “to climb.” Still others, that from the word “hair-haired”, among the meanings of which is “greedy, greedy for delicacies.” The fourth derives the name of weasel from the Latvian “luoss” - i.e. "ginger". The summer color of the weasel is really reddish, but in winter it becomes snow-white.
Weasel in winter.
The same seasonal changes occur with the weasel's closest relative, the ermine, except that the tip of its tail remains black.
Yakov Polonsky, “On a snowy plain”: On a snowy plain, covered in greenery, a gloomy spruce grew dark; And, like ermines, the blizzard covered Her shoulders with fluffy snow...
Ermine in winter.
Ironically, it was the ermine’s “camouflage” winter fur that made the animal a desirable prey for hunters. In the Middle Ages, this fur with black dotted tails was used to line the robes of kings, judges and other nobility. They say there was a case when the defendant appealed the verdict only because the judge’s robe turned out to be made of fake ermine.
Nicholas Pineman. Portrait of Willem II. 1850.
In heraldry, “ermine fur” is called one of the background colors of the coat of arms (if the colors are inverted - a black background with white “tails” - then such a coat of arms is called “anti-ermine”). What the ermine symbolized is clearly shown by the legend about the appearance of “ermine fur” on the coat of arms of Brittany (now the northern province of France). According to it, the Breton Duke Alain Crookedbeard somehow escaped from the Normans. Suddenly his path was blocked by a flooded dirty river. And then the Duke saw an ermine who stopped in front of the river, not wanting to get his snow-white coat dirty. So the Duke decided not to stain his honor and turned his face to the enemies, and the motto of Brittany became the phrase: “Better death than shame!”
Coat of arms of Brittany.
M. Cervantes “Don Quixote”: “... when the hunters hunt this animal, they resort to such a trick: having tracked down where it is in the habit of going, they smear these places with mud, then scare it away and drive it straight there, and the ermine, as soon as notices the dirt, stops, because he prefers to give up and fall into the hands of the hunter, rather than, walking through the mud, get dirty and lose his whiteness, which is dearer to him than freedom and life itself. A faithful and honest wife is an ermine, but her honor is purer and whiter than snow.”
The snow-white ermine has long symbolized purity and purity. It is believed that it was precisely this allegorical subtext that Leonardo da Vinci laid in the famous portrait “Lady with an Ermine” (1490).
"Portrait of a Lady with an Ermine" by Leonardo da Vinci.
Although in fact there could be no talk about any physical integrity of the heroine of the portrait - Louis Sforza's beloved Cecilia. In addition, modern researchers are almost sure that what was nestling in the lady’s hands was not an ermine, but a ferret (or furo), an albino variety of ferret.
Fretka.
Yes, yes, the famous chicken coop robbers - ferrets, like weasels, were often kept in houses to hunt the same mice. Moreover, in the paintings there are scenes where medieval ladies hunt a rabbit with the help of ferrets - after all, these predators could get the lop-eared one right in its hole.
Despite this, the ferret's reputation is unsightly - that of a thief. In our country, a “ferret” is usually called a cunning, sneaky, dishonest person. In early English literature, this was the name given to prostitutes in particular and immoral individuals in general. And even now one of the English nicknames for ferrets and weasels - “weasel” - means a clever deceiver who does not fulfill his obligations.
Ferret.
If the body length of a weasel is 13 cm, an ermine is up to 38 cm, then ferrets can be more than half a meter. Unlike their relatives, ferrets have more colorful fur colors, which does not prevent them from being considered fur-bearing animals. Otherwise, the ferret is just as active and powerful a predator, easily killing rabbits and poultry. By the way, the image of the fearless Buck from the film Ice Age 3 is probably either a ferret or a weasel.
N. Zabolotsky: A beetle ate grass, a bird pecked a beetle, a ferret drank the brain from a bird’s head...
Ferret.
It is impossible not to mention another small mustelid predator - the rufous weasel, primarily because brushes are made from the hairs of its tail - both for painting and for cosmetic procedures.
Marten, sable and wolverine
“Who hasn’t seen expensive fluffy sable fur! It has been known for its value and good quality since ancient times and has become part of our folk tales, songs and sayings. Previously, there were enough sables in Western Siberia, but now there are not many in Eastern Siberia, and, probably, the time will come when there will be very few of them, and then the edge of some padded jacket will cost very, very expensive!.. In our time, of course , will reach Eastern Siberia, but our descendants, after several generations, will probably have to renew and wear their great-grandfather’s sable cast-offs...” (A. Cherkasov “Notes of a Hunter of Eastern Siberia”, 1867)
In ancient times, the main article of Russian export was not oil at all, but furs (or, as they called it then, “soft junk”). In addition, fur played the role of a kind of internal currency - it served as a measure of exchange, it was given a salary and paid taxes.
For example, in 883, Grand Duke Oleg (the one who is “prophetic”) demanded from the Drevlyans a tribute in the amount of one “black kuna” (i.e., marten skin) from the hut. It is not for nothing that foreign coins that were in circulation in Rus' were subsequently called “kuns” - the eastern dirham and the Western European denarius.
Well, after the conquest of Kazan, Ivan the Terrible immediately obliged the Tatars to annually replenish the royal budget with 30 thousand sable skins. Actually, martens and sables were the main reason for the expansion of the Russian state to the east - to Siberia.
A. Brem “Life of Animals”: “With their skins, foreigners paid “yasak”, or government tax, in exchange for them they purchased from traders everything they needed for their daily living. The times are not yet so far from us when the Kamchadals laughed among themselves at a stupid Cossack who exchanged a knife for a sable skin...”
In other countries, no one laughed at “Russian furs”. So in 1635, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich sent the Shah of Persia a luxurious gift - live sables in gilded cages. It was sable fur that was considered the most rare and valuable. For many reasons. Firstly, it is really very thick, soft and beautiful, and can also be styled easily - no matter which direction you iron it. Secondly, Russia quickly became a monopoly in this area, because almost the entire range of the sable is located in the taiga (outside Russia, the animal is found only in Mongolia and in the north of China and Korea).
Sable.
Sable fur is evaluated, first of all, by color - the darker it is, the better (remember the Russian proverb - “The chest of a swan, the gait of a peacock, the eyes of a falcon, the eyebrows of sable”?). Therefore, the most expensive skin is worn by the Barguzin sable, which lives in the Baikal region and has a charcoal-chocolate color. Furriers have always tried to remove the sable skin as much as possible - along with the paws.
Barguzin sable skins.
In the old days, few could afford a fur coat made entirely of sable (and even today it costs about 60 thousand dollars). Typically, collars, sleeves, skirts and hats were decorated with fur. King Henry VIII even issued a decree according to which only those whose status was not lower than a viscount had the right to wear sables. Many believe that the famous shoes of Cinderella from Perrault’s fairy tale were originally sable, and not crystal. It’s just that over time, the word “vair” (“fur for edging”), like a broken telephone, turned into “verre” (“glass”).
Marie Antoinette and her children (1787). The Queen is shown wearing a dress trimmed with sable fur.
In the 1640-50s, the fur trade in Russia accounted for 20% of the state budget. It is not surprising that the sable quickly became endangered. So, by the end of the 17th century - literally in 50 years - the annual production of sable skins decreased from 145 to 42 thousand skins. They became seriously concerned about the protection of this animal only under Soviet rule. So in 1935, sable hunting was completely banned for 5 years, and then its shooting was strictly controlled. All these measures led to the fact that by the 1960s the animal had multiplied so much that it was possible to resume its fishing at the level of the 17th century.
Marten on the coat of arms of the Ufa province.
In general terms, martens and sables are very similar - both in appearance and in habits (the sable is somewhat stockier and has a cat-like tail). By the way, the American marten is an analogue of sable in North America, although its fur is still not so soft and beautiful. Like many mustelids, sables and martens are agile, agile predators. Thanks to Soviet cartoons, since childhood I have developed the image of a marten as a real forest robber, dashingly jumping through the trees and harassing unfortunate squirrels. Martens and sables are really good dart frogs and dangerous enemies of squirrels. However, they most often hunt on the ground (in winter - in thick snow), chasing rodents. In addition, stone martens have adapted to live near humans and periodically rob chicken coops.
Pine marten.
The largest species of martens, the kharza, originally lived in the tropics of Indochina, and then, through China and Korea, reached the Amur region. It reaches a length of 80 cm and is quite capable of killing a musk deer, a piglet or a fawn.
Kharza.
An even more serious predator is the wolverine, which, thanks to its size, bulk and clubfoot, looks a little like a bear.
Wolverine.
It reaches 105 cm in length and weighs up to 20 kg. Her fur is coarse, shaggy, dark brown (with two light stripes on the sides), her paws are wide (more wide than they are long), her claws are large and hooked, and her temper is ferocious (the main character of the film epic “X-Men” was not nicknamed for nothing Wolverine).
O. Tenner “Bears and Other Animals of Prey”: “In Alaska's Mount McKinley National Park, observers saw a wolverine kill a ram that weighed more than three times its weight, and drag the carcass more than two kilometers along steep snow-covered slopes and across a river, before I found a suitable place to have lunch.”
Wolverine.
As you can see, this is a very strong and cunning animal, capable of killing prey larger than itself - especially if it is stuck in the snow (in winter, the wide-legged wolverine really has a serious advantage). Usually, the wolverine does not run very fast, so it prefers to starve its prey. Or even find carrion, rob hunting traps and even... recapture prey from wolves or lynxes. For its unpretentiousness in food and good appetite, the wolverine was given the Latin name “Gulo”, which means “glutton”.
Wolverine.
Alexander Cherkasov “Notes of a Hunter of Eastern Siberia”: “...she, being surrounded by dogs and seeing no salvation, emits such a stench that the dogs immediately jump away from her. Local industrialists say that “damn it, it clouds their vision, so that dogs then see it poorly and lose sight of it,” and some even claim that if a dog gets under the very stream of stench, it subsequently loses the sharpness of its senses; That's why local industrialists don't hunt good dogs on wolverines. Animal hunters even say that its stench is so strong, “that it makes the snow shine and sting.” ...Wolverine is extremely mischievous and loves to take advantage of other people's goods, such as: visiting the mouths, pits and other traps of animal traders, stealing the prey he comes across and carrying it away; if she is beyond her power, as they say here, then she devours it right there on the spot. ...The local foreigners extremely dislike and are offended if they are called a wolverine in jest or in their hearts. “You yourself are a wolverine,” they say, “but mine is not a wolverine; This is where, very much where, the very last beast."
Mink, otter and sea otter
“- My husband bought me a mink coat! - Oh, it’s all full of holes. “These are not holes, these are minks!!!” (Joke)
If among mustelids the most beautiful fur belongs to the sable, then the thickest fur belongs to its aquatic relatives - minks, otters and sea otters. And this is quite understandable. Firstly, the water is wet, and secondly, unlike seals, aquatic mustelids do not have a thick layer of fat. Therefore, you have to protect your body from moisture and cold solely due to the quality of the skin.
Mink.
For example, in a mink there are from 9 to 24 downy hairs for each guard hair. This skin practically does not get wet. In addition, mink fur is very light, strong and durable. Mink coats and collars (often dyed in different colors) have long been the coveted dream of fashionistas, especially after Hollywood movie stars dressed up in this fur in the 1930s.
Mink.
Otter fur is also distinguished by its excellent quality and density (up to 50 thousand hairs per sq. cm!). It is covered on top by a rough awn, and underneath there is a soft underfur. When processing the skin, the guard hairs are torn out. Hence the name of the animal, which later became the subject of jokes, puns and anecdotes.
Otter.
Anecdote: - Hey, tydra! - I'm not an otter, but an otter. - I still didn’t have enough to call everyone “you”!
Igor Severyanin: ...Like the air is thoughtless, like a mummy is wise. He who is famous for eagles - oh, he has no time for otters!
Tongue twister: In the depths of the tundra, otters in spats are poking cedar kernels into buckets. Having torn out the gaiters from an otter in the tundra, I will wipe the cedar kernels with the otter, I will wipe the otter’s face with the gaiters - The kernels into buckets, the otter into the tundra.
By the way, in the old days the otter had a more understandable name: “Poresnya” - that is, living near rivers. Thanks to the aquatic lifestyle, minks and otters acquired similar features - short legs with membranes between the toes, a highly elongated body with a long tail-rudder, a streamlined head with tiny ears. These animals settle in coastal burrows and feed on a wide variety of aquatic life.
Otter.
At the same time, minks are much smaller than otters. If the body length of a mink is up to 45 cm, then that of an ordinary otter is up to a meter. And there is also an “extraordinary” - giant - otter. It lives in the rivers of South America and reaches one and a half meters plus another 120 cm of tail. Which makes it a contender for the title of the largest representative of the mustelid family.
Giant otter.
By nature, otters are peaceful, sociable and very playful animals. They often hunt and frolic together, and in winter they love to slide down ice slides on their bellies with their paws pressed together. In addition, otters are very talkative - they whistle among themselves, but they can also chirp, meow and puff.
Among the mustelids there are also inhabitants of salty seas. They are sea otters, sometimes called sea otters.
The honor of discovering sea otters for Western civilization belongs to Georg Steller. Steller took part in the Kamchatka expedition of Vitus Bereng, when at the end of 1741 the ship was wrecked near the Commander Islands. The expedition members had to spend a difficult winter on the island before they were rescued. Of the 78 people, only 47 survived (Bering himself was among the dead). Perhaps there would have been no one left at all if furry animals had not been discovered in the coastal waters, not feeling any fear of people. At that time, people were primarily interested in meat, but the main value and death of the animal was its warm, dense fur.
Sea otter.
G. Steller: “The fur of the sea beaver, whose skin is loosely attached to the body and sways in all directions while running, is so superior in length, beauty and dark color to the fur of the river beaver that the latter cannot withstand any comparison with it.”
Sea otter skin quickly soared in price, so many hunters flocked to the Far Eastern coast. At first, the animal was nicknamed the sea or Kamchatka beaver, but then another name took root - sea otter (from the Koryak “kalaga” - beast). Thank God, the sea otter was luckier than another of Steller’s discoveries - the sea cow, which was exterminated to the ground. Today, only the indigenous population of Alaska, the Aleuts, are allowed to hunt sea otters.
Of all the mustelids, the sea otter is the most devoted to water. So much so that its hind limbs turned into flippers, splayed to the sides.
The sea otter's favorite position is to lie on its back and sway on the waves. They sleep in this position (at the same time, to prevent them from being carried far out to sea, they wrap themselves in seaweed or hold each other’s paws).
They eat in the same position. The meal is worth talking about separately. As Steller already wrote, the sea otter’s skin is clearly not his size and is gathered into deep folds. In one of these folds - under the arm - the sea otter stores its cutlery - a stone. When an animal catches a shellfish, a crab or a sea urchin in its paws, it puts the food on its belly, takes out a stone from its bosom and, with a real blow, crumbles all the hard shells.
The relationship between female sea otters and their cubs looks very touching.
A. Brem “Animal Life”: “Females carry them in their mouths, and in the sea - lying on their backs and clasping them with their front paws. They play with them like a loving mother, throw them up and catch them like a ball, push them into the water so that they learn to swim, take them back to them when they get tired, and kiss them just like people... The love of parents for their cubs is so great that For their sake, they are ready to expose themselves to obvious, mortal danger, and if their little ones are taken away from them, they sob loudly, almost like children. Their melancholy can be so great that within a week or two they become sick, weak and do not want to leave the shore.”
But in their sexual life, these cute animals behave like real maniacs. So, during mating, the male literally rapes his girlfriend, grabbing her nose with his teeth and periodically dipping her into water (then the female walks around with a bloody muzzle for several more days). There are even shocking cases of sea otters raping... baby seals.
Badger and honey badger
“So, Merlin sent you,” said the badger, “so that you complete your education.” Well, I can only teach you two things - to dig the earth and to love your home. However, this is what the true purpose of philosophy comes down to.” (T. H. White, The Sword in the Stone)
The badger is a familiar animal to the northern hemisphere. We all know this stocky, squat animal with an elongated muzzle, two black stripes along the eyes and dense grayish skin. By the way, the name “badger” translated from Turkic languages means “gray” (the Tatars called the animal “bursyk”, the Cossacks called it “borsuk”).
Common badger.
Today, in the era of freedom and democracy, some wits allow themselves to make puns and call bars after the animal. The “Badger” sign (and even divided into two parts by color) immediately acquires a “deep” subtext, which, however, does not prevent women from visiting this establishment...
It must be said that the classic gray coloration with a two-striped muzzle is characteristic, first of all, of the common badger. Other species - for example, the American badger - can be more variegated and chaotic in color.
American badger.
The appearance of these representatives of the mustelid family clearly indicates that they are very “close to the earth.” It is not for nothing that the English name for the badger - badger - comes from the French becheur - “digger”. Badgers dig constantly - either looking for food or digging holes (for this habit, one of the species - the teleda - was nicknamed the “pig badger”).
Teledu.
A. Brem “The Life of Animals”: “The general impression produced by this animal is peculiar: at first you might think that you see in front of you a pig rather than a predatory animal; The grunt of a badger also reminds me of a pig.”
Sometimes several generations of badgers are engaged in the arrangement and expansion of one underground dwelling, as a result of which real “badger towns” arise - branched, with dozens of entrances and exits. The largest of the known “towns” consisted of 879 meters of tunnels and had 129 exits! Medieval people sometimes looked for very strange explanations for the badger’s talent for burrowing quickly and deeply.
From the medieval “Bestiary”: “One badger digs, swallowing soil, and the other two hold a stick with their teeth. When the digger is “full to the brim,” he clings to this stick, and the other badgers pull him out of the hole to empty himself.”
As befits a digger animal, the badger’s main diet consists of rodents, worms and larvae. True, this predator will not refuse larger prey - it can even attack a calf. The American badger, hunting a hare, often takes as its “partner”... a coyote. One predator drives the prey out, the other grabs it. By autumn, the badger gains more fat, after which it plunges into hibernation, which is not typical for other mustelids. It’s not for nothing that we sometimes talk about some kind of dream - “Sleeps like a badger.”
B. Grzimek “Animals Next to Us”: “Tom’s huntsman once came across an unusually large badger sleeping, snoring, in broad daylight in the open air. The stone thrown by the huntsman and falling nearby did not wake up the self-confident animal. And only when Toma, coming close, loudly shouted “get up”, the sleepyhead finally jumped up.”
The animal's lifestyle was immediately reflected in its fabulously literary appearance. In most books, badgers resemble sullen and secretive homebodies who value their den, family and comfort above all else.
K. Graham “The Wind in the Willows”: “— Badger, buddy! Come to us! - called Rat. The badger ran a step or two, then muttered: “Hey, there’s a whole bunch of people here!” - turned around and disappeared. - Exactly! This is what he's all about! - Rat was upset. - He just hates society. Now he won’t poke his nose at us all day... - What if we visit him ourselves? - suggested the Mole. - What do you! - Rat was alarmed. - He's so arrogant! Yes, he will simply go wild. Even I won’t risk visiting Badger in his own house, although I’ve known him for a long time.”
Mr. Badger from K. Graham's fairy tale "The Wind in the Willows".
It is really not recommended to tease this “conformist” - an irritated badger is strong beyond his size and can turn out to be a very formidable opponent. However, if left undisturbed, he is quite peaceful. Of the literary badgers, I know only one clearly negative character. This is Tommy Brock from the fairy tales of Beatrix Potter, who kidnapped the children of Benjamin Rabbit.
B. Potter “The Story of Mr. Todd”: “Tommy Brock was a fat little man with a hobbling gait. There was a constant grin on his stubbled face. He had bad habits. He destroyed wasp nests and ate frogs and worms, which he dug up under the cover of darkness by the light of the moon.”
Badger Tommy Brock.
The badger's fur is beautiful, but rough, so it has no special value (although in the old days it was used to make shaving brushes).
A. Cherkasov “Notes of a hunter of Eastern Siberia”: “Badger skins are extremely strong and are used here only for muffs, or cases for rifles, because badger hair, greasy to the touch, has a special property that the Siberians took advantage of so well: it cannot be penetrated by any rain".
The situation is similar with badger meat - it is quite edible, but if cooked incorrectly it acquires an extremely specific taste. Badger fat, which is considered a panacea for colds, pulmonary and ulcerative diseases, is most valued. However, badgers were also hunted for fun - usually with the help of dogs. The English language even introduced the verb “badger,” meaning “to disturb” or “irritate.”
Badger hunting (XVI century).
The one who really shouldn't be annoyed is the honey badger. Although this inhabitant of the open spaces of Africa and Asia is not at all small (body - 75 cm, weight - 10 kg), it has a strong body, sharp teeth, short clawed paws and a “crazy” ferocious disposition. It is very difficult to confuse it with other mustelids - the honey badger is colored white above and black below.
Honey badger.
Don't let the name fool you either. He really really loves honey, though. To get it, the honey badger even enters into a “criminal conspiracy” with the bird, whose name is also telling - honey guide. The honey guide scouts out where the bees' nests are, after which the honey badger "guides" them, he destroys the nests, and both "accomplices" begin the feast.
However, honey is only a small part of the animal’s diet. The ferocity and strength of the honey badger is enough to kill a monitor lizard, a cobra, a three-meter python, a turtle and even a sheep. In India, these animals were even seen in cemeteries, where they dug up graves and devoured corpses.
Few dare to contact the honey badger himself. In the 2nd part of the wonderful film “The Gods Must Be Crazy,” there is a funny scene where an angry honey badger first grabbed the hero’s shoe, and then chased him for hours until he himself fell from fatigue.
As it turns out, not everything in this scene is the director’s imagination. No wonder the Guinness Book of Records declared the honey badger the most fearless and daring animal in the world. No matter who makes the honey badger angry, he will always rush into battle. There is a known case when two animals repelled the attack of six lionesses. Therefore, Kenyan hunters, having killed a honey badger, try to eat its heart, which, in their opinion, contains the animal’s strength and reckless courage.
Skunk
“A Hare and a Skunk were running through the forest. They fell, hit their heads, and both suffered amnesia. Hare: - Listen, let you describe me, and I’ll try to identify myself? Skunk: - You are of medium size, a navel-shaped tail, gray, long ears. Hare: - I’m probably a hare! And you’re also so average, you stink, and there’s a streak across it. Skunk: “Listen, I think I’m w..a!” (Joke)
Imagine this picture. A visiting foreign tourist is walking through an American forest and suddenly sees a small animal in the bushes - it looks like a ferret, but only very beautiful and fluffy. He has a fur coat with black and white stripes, and a tail like a fluffy whisk. “So cute!” - the lady says and comes closer.
The animal doesn’t run away, it just turns its front to the forest and its back to the lady, and raises its broom up like a flag. Then it’s time to leave, but our heroine, suspecting nothing, continues to approach the “cutie.”
He begins to get nervous - hiss and stomp his paws. “Look, he’s so angry!” - the lady thinks, but is in no hurry to leave. And then, having exhausted the entire arsenal of warning signals (and these were exactly them), the “cutie” shoots a whole stream of liquid right from under its tail. The jet flies quite far (two, or even six, meters).
Further developments depend on the accuracy of the “shot” and the physical strength of the lady. If the liquid gets into the eye, you can even go blind for a while. But its main strength, brother, is not in this, but in the unbearable stench that it exudes. Imagine the smell of garlic and rotten eggs - only amplified a thousand times. The victim's reaction to this “gas attack” can vary from shock to vomiting and even fainting.
I am sure that many of the readers would hardly find themselves in this situation. Thanks to American cartoons and films, many of you will quickly guess that the cute animal is the infamous skunk - the same one with which the movie hero Ace Ventura “shot back” from poachers. The name of the animal speaks for itself - translated from the language of the Alconguin Indians, it means something like “urinating fox.”
Striped skunk.
The fluid that accumulates in the skunk's anal glands contains butyl selenomercaptan (C4H9Se H) and produces one of the most foul, pungent and persistent odors in the world. Only 0.000000000002 grams of this substance is enough for our nose to smell it. What can we say about a whole stream! They say that a tailwind can carry the smell of a “shot” skunk over a distance of a kilometer. The skunk’s “cartridges,” however, are not endless. The liquid is enough for 5-6 shots, after which the animal needs at least two days to “recharge”.
A person sprayed by a skunk is unlikely to risk appearing in public for the first few days, and the soiled clothes will most likely have to be burned. There are, of course, recipes for removing odor using tomato juice or hydrogen peroxide, but they are not very effective.
B. Grzimek “Animals Next to Us”: “It is recommended to thoroughly smoke spattered clothes in smoke, but, apparently, this does not get rid of the stench. Judge for yourself. Skunk-splattered boots that had been sitting in chlorinated water for four months still retained a foul odor.”
People have known about the “bad manners” of the skunk for quite some time.
“Relations of the Jesuits” (correspondence of French missionaries in 1634): “Another [not found in France] is a small animal, the size of a small dog or a cat. I mention him not on account of his perfection, but to make him a symbol of sin. ...The animal is more white than black, and at first glance, especially when it walks, you would say that it is worthy of the name of the dog of Jupiter. But it is so stinking, it emits such a clinging bad odor that it is not worthy to be called even Pluto’s dog. No sewer ever smelled so disgusting. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't felt it myself. Your heart almost stops when you approach this animal. Two were killed in our yard, and for several days after we could not enter there.”
It is not surprising that the word “skunk” quickly became an insult and characterized a person as a scoundrel, a deceiver and a scammer. However, in cartoons, skunks often appear as positive characters. For example, the shy character in the film “Bambi” (1942) with a paradoxical name for a skunk... Flower.
Despite the image of "stinkers", these animals are easily tamed. And their skin is gorgeous. Therefore, skunks are kept in homes and specially bred on farms. Naturally, after removing the foul glands. At one time, the United States even exported skunk skins to Europe, wisely advertising them as “American sable” fur.
Previously, skunks were classified as members of the mustelidae family (now they are in a separate family - skunks). And all mustelids, to one degree or another, have odorous musk glands. For example, in the Old World, the role of the skunk is successfully played by the African ferret, nicknamed zorilla.
P. Pfeffer “Asia”: “The author of a number of books, Evan T. Sanderson, claims that there is no other animal that spreads such a disgusting smell. He also tells of five lions frightened by Zorilla, who were forced to wait until the “father of all stinkers,” as the Sudanese call Zorilla, had had their fill, and only then were they able to taste their prey.”
Zoril.
Author: Sergey Kuriy October 2015
MUSTLETS
Mustelids: 1 – sable (Martes zibellina); 2 – pine marten (Martes martes); 3 – harza (Martes flavigula); 4 – dressing (Vormela peregusna); 5 – ermine (Mustela erminea) ...
MUSTELS, martens (Mustelidae), family of mammals neg. predatory. The family system is not entirely clear. 24 genera (55 species), among them: badgers (Meles), otters (Lutra), grisons, sea otters (Enhydra), martens, weasels and ferrets (Mustela), honey badgers (Mellivora), bandages (Vormela), wolverines (Gulo) , tayra (Eira), teledu (Arctonyx), etc. Based on the size of the representatives of the family, they can be divided into 3 groups: small (body length 11–50 cm), medium (50–100 cm) and large (100–150 cm) ; each of these groups unites representatives of different systematics. categories. The smallest member of the family is the weasel, the largest are the giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) and the sea otter. All K. have an elongated body; the limbs are short, five-fingered, with non-extendable claws, digitigrade (including in martens, ferrets and weasels), plantigrade (in badgers, honey badgers) or semi-plantigrade (wolverine). In K., leading an aquatic lifestyle, a swimming membrane is developed between the fingers; The sea otter's hind limbs are turned into flippers, and the fingers of the forelimbs are shortened and connected to each other. The ears are usually small, rounded at the tops; in aquatic species, the auricles are greatly reduced, and the auditory canals can become closed. Some representatives of K. have a very short tail (badger, wolverine), while others have its length exceeding half the body length (including martens, ferret badgers, African weasels). The hair is thick, fluffy, with most having a thin soft undercoat; color ranges from plain brown to black. There is one (in subtropical and tropical species) or two molts per year. In areas with pronounced seasonal temperature differences, winter fur is thicker and taller; in some species the winter color is white (weasel, ermine). Developed anal glands secrete a sharp-smelling secretion. Distributed throughout Eurasia, Africa, America, and on the coastal islands of the north. parts of the Pacific approx. They inhabit landscapes of all natural zones from the tundra to the tropics. forests; they rise into the mountains to alpine meadows. The family includes terrestrial, semi-arboreal, rocky, semi-aquatic and aquatic species. As a rule, they lead a solitary lifestyle. Hollows or nests serve as shelter. voids in the ground, other people's burrows, some animals (badger, teledu) dig their own complex burrows. Many are typical carnivores. They are active all year round; some (badgers) hibernate in winter. Most are monogamous. Many have a pregnancy with a latent stage (delay) of fetal development. As a rule, K. give birth to from 1 to 18 cubs per year. A number of K. species are valuable objects of fishing and fur farming (for example, sable, American mink). The forest ferret has been domesticated. All species play an important role in natural ecosystems, controlling the number of small rodents, creating shelters, etc. The sea mink (Neovison macrodon) became extinct in history. Currently, 6 species are considered to be in a state of concern, of which the giant otter, sea otter, cat otter (Lontra felina) and Sumatran otter (Lutra sumatrana) are endangered.
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Representatives of the mustelid family are most often small, elongated animals. The weasel is the smallest representative of the order of carnivores, weighing no more than 200 g, while the largest sea otter among the mustelids weighs up to 40 kg. On a long muscular neck sits a small head with short rounded ears: they rightly say about small mustelids - where the head goes, so does the body. The limbs are shortened, usually plantigrade. The fur is most often fluffy and thick, especially in otters living in water; Badgers, on the contrary, have hard and sparse fur. The color of mustelids is usually uniform brown, but can have a contrasting pattern of dark and light spots and stripes. Some small inhabitants of northern latitudes (weasel, ermine) change their dark fur coat to white for the winter. Two-color - the so-called demonstration - coloration is usually combined with the strong development of odorous anal glands.
Mustelids are distributed almost all over the world: they have colonized forests, deserts and mountains, and live in freshwater bodies and on sea coasts.
These are mainly terrestrial animals. Among mustelids there are semi-aquatic animals - otter, sea otter. Representatives of the mustelid family often live alone, they are territorial and are not prone to long-distance migrations. Shelters are usually burrows that the animals borrow from the victims they eat or dig themselves, sometimes complex, perennial ones; tree dwellers take refuge in hollows. Badgers living in northern forests go into hibernation for the winter. Most mustelids are predators, feeding almost exclusively on small rodents and birds, others are omnivores; Semi-aquatic animals prefer fish. Based on their habits, there are two main types of mustelids. Some of them are very mobile, nimble, move in short jumps with a strongly curved back, or seem to creep
along the ground among thick grass. These are small animals like an ermine or a ferret; Otters have similar behavior. They are active hunters, stalking prey in its hiding places or catching it in the water.
Mustelids navigate mainly by hearing; their sense of smell and vision are less developed. The general level of mental activity is lower than that of canids and bears: among mustelids there are few species that can be trained.
The reproduction of mustelids is characterized by a very extended gestation period: in some martens it lasts up to a year. This is caused by delayed embryonic development, the causes of which are still unknown. Cubs in a litter range from 1-2 (for sea otters) to 16-18. According to the nature of development, mustelids, like all carnivores, belong to the “chicken” type. But some species exhibit a “following reflex” characteristic of brood
type: cubs at a certain age relentlessly follow a female or an object that they have “imprinted” as a mother.
Many mouse-eating mustelids are important natural regulators of rodent numbers in nature.
Some species - primarily sable, otter, sea otter - have very valuable fur and are among the most important objects of the fur trade. Some members of the family—primarily the American mink and the sable—are bred on fur farms. Most representatives of the mustelid family are common, numerous species. However, many fur-bearing animals in the recent past were on the verge of destruction due to excessive fishing and became very rare. Currently, they are protected, special work is being carried out to restore their numbers (primarily this applies to the sea otter and sable).
The family unites a large number of phylogenetically related species, but very different in body structure, lifestyle, and adaptive features, which corresponds to the diversity of living conditions to which they adapted in the process of historical development. The predominant number of mustelids are small and even very small in size, while a few are medium in size. Their body length ranges from 15 to 120-150 cm, weight from 100 g to 40 kg. The body is usually very elongated, very flexible, sometimes short, massive. Mustelids are distinguished by well-developed hair, in many species in the north in winter it is very thick and fluffy, in aquatic forms it is extremely thick, with a delicate underfur. But in the south, some have a body covered with coarse, almost bristly hair, albeit with a rather soft underfur. The color of the coat is very diverse: plain, striped, spotted, sometimes much darker below than above. The splendor and thickness of the coat varies greatly with the seasons, and in two species its color becomes snow-white in winter. Most mustelids lead a terrestrial existence, many climb trees well, some know how to dig deep burrows and extract food from underground. Certain species are adapted to an aquatic lifestyle to varying degrees, and some have become completely amphibiotic animals.
Mustelids are very widespread. They are found in all landscapes, as well as in rivers, lakes, oceans, on all continents except Australia (where some species are acclimatized by humans). In terms of the number of species and genera, the mustelid family is one of the richest in the order of carnivores. It contains approximately 65-70 species, which are grouped into 24-29 genera and 5 subfamilies. The fauna of Russia includes 8 genera and 18 species, including the acclimatized American mink. Among the mustelids there are extremely valuable fur-bearing animals. They are hunted, and some are bred in cages and acclimatized in the wild. Many species are very useful as exterminators of harmful rodents and insects; Some carnivorous species can cause known damage to poultry farming, reindeer husbandry, and hunting.
The wolverine (Gulo gulo) is very different in size and body structure from other mustelid species, but is close to them in the structure of the skull and especially the dental system.
Wolverine is a large animal with a body length of 70-105 cm, tail - 18-23 cm, weighing up to 19 kg. The wolverine's body is massive, shortened, its legs are powerful and wide; the head is relatively small, with small rounded ears. The massiveness of the body is emphasized by long, shaggy and coarse hair. The wolverine's coloring is generally dark brown, with the exception of two light stripes that start at the back of the head and stretch along the sides of the body to the rump like a harness. The degree of development, outline and color of this harness are very variable. In general, the color of wolverine fur is very diverse. The wolverine is distributed over a vast expanse of taiga and tundra in “Europe,” Asia and North America. In Europe, it is preserved in the north of the Scandinavian Peninsula and in Finland. In Russia,
the border of the range passes through the Leningrad, Vologda, and Perm regions.
In Siberia, the wolverine is very widespread. It is found in several northern provinces of China and Mongolia
.
It is very difficult to accurately draw the boundaries of its range, given the animal’s wandering lifestyle and its ability to migrate far away. For example, the wolverine is known to enter the Baltic states, Belarus, Ukraine, the forest-steppe of Western Siberia , etc. Throughout its entire range, the wolverine is a solitary animal.
Only in isolated cases, for example near large carrion, can several individuals gather in one place, but only for a short time. This predator is found in a variety of lowland and mountain, forest and tundra habitats. Here he wanders within a vast individual area (often occupying 1500-2000 km2). more details The basis of the wolverine's diet is carrion, in particular the remains of prey of wolves and bears - moose, domestic and wild reindeer, etc. Less often, the wolverine attacks ungulate animals on its own, and only then on sick, wounded or young animals. Prowling in search of prey, the wolverine reveals amazing tirelessness, mobility, strength, dexterity, and cunning. However, she cannot be called gluttonous, since she eats much less than her stomach can accommodate. In addition, the wolverine tries to hide part of its prey as a reserve in secluded corners. There is a fairly widespread belief that the wolverine is a dangerous and harmful predator. However, in fact, it is quite useful, since it performs an important sanitary and even breeding function in nature, destroying inferior ungulates and their corpses.
The marten (Martes foina) is found in the fauna of Europe , Asia and North America. There are two subspecies of stone and pine marten (M. foina, M. martes). They are noticeably larger than ferrets. The first of them has a body 38–59 cm long, a tail 23–32 cm, and a mass of up to 2500 g; the second, respectively, 38-58 cm, 17-26 cm, 750-1500 g. The body of martens is slender, strong, the ears are quite large, pointed, the tail of the stone marten protrudes far beyond the limbs extended back. The fur is thick, fluffy, very beautiful. In the pine marten it is usually dark brown in color, while in the stone marten it is lighter, with a fawn tint, and less dense. There is a large spot on the throat and chest. In the stone marten it is white (which is why it is often called the white-headed one), bifurcating at the back, and in the pine marten it is yellowish or orange, with a narrow scallop at the back. The soles of the pine marten in winter are densely covered with hair, while those of the stone marten are more or less bare.
Martens are more accurately distinguished by some structural features of the skull and teeth than by external features. The stone marten is a more southern species. It inhabits Southern and Central Europe
, including Denmark and Italy, the south of “Russia”, Western, Small, Middle, “North America”.
This animal is much larger than many species of mustelids: body length up to 60-70 cm, tail - 34-43 cm, weight 6-7 kg and even 8 kg. The general color of the pecan is dark brown, the legs and tail are darker, and the head is light. The coat is thick, long, but coarse. It is most numerous in the states of New England and New York . Although pecan in its distribution is also confined to the forest zone, it is much less associated with the tree layer. Its favorite prey is arboreal porcupines. During periods of deep snow, it sometimes even attacks deer. Its gestation period ranges from 338 to 358 days. In a brood born in the spring, there are up to 5 cubs.
