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Mustelidae:
Mustelidae (from Latin mustela, weasel), sometimes called the weasel family, is a family of carnivorous mammals. The family Mustelidae is among the most diverse families in the order Carnivora.
Mustelids range from the Least weasel, not much larger than a mouse, which can live in the high Arctic; to the wolverine, also known by the common names "skunk bear" (referring to its scent and appearance) and "nasty cat" (referring to its behavior), a 50 pound (23 kg) animal that can dispatch reindeer, crush bones as thick as the femur of a moose to get at the marrow, and has been known to drive bears from kills; to the ratel, which has a unique symbiosis with a bird called the honey guide bird; to the tropical, largely fruit-eating tayra; to the aquatic otters. Other mustelids include mink, badgers, weasels, polecats, zorilla, and martens. Mustelidae is one of the most species-rich families in order Carnivora, as well as one of the older ones. Mustelid-like forms have existed for the past 40 million years and roughly coincided with the appearance of rodents. |
