Knowra Mustelidae Mustelidae Mustelidae is a family of carnivorous mammals that includes weasels, badgers, otters, martens, wolverines, and related animals. Its members vary widely in size and habitat, but many have elongated bodies and scent-marking glands.
Carnivora : Carnivora is an order of mammals that includes cats, dogs, bears, seals, and their relatives. Mustelidae is one branch within this larger order of mostly meat-eating mammals.
Weasel : A weasel is a small, slender mustelid adapted to pursue prey through narrow spaces. Weasels exemplify the family’s long-bodied, agile terrestrial hunters.
Mustelid scent marking : Mustelid scent marking is chemical communication that conveys information through deposited odors. Scent marks help many species signal territory, identity, or reproductive state.
Ferret : The ferret is a domesticated form of the European polecat, bred as a companion animal and working animal. Ferrets are the best-known domesticated mustelids and demonstrate the family's close contact with people.
Mephitidae : Mephitidae is the mammal family that includes skunks and stink badgers. Skunks were once classified with mustelids but are now placed in a separate family.
Mammal : A mammal is a vertebrate whose females produce milk and whose members typically have hair and regulate body temperature internally. Mustelids share the defining characteristics of mammals.
Otter : An otter is a semiaquatic mustelid adapted for swimming and hunting in water. Otters show how one mustelid lineage became strongly associated with aquatic habitats.
Mustelid dentition : Mustelid dentition is the arrangement of teeth used to capture, kill, and process food. Their carnassial teeth help shear flesh, while other teeth vary with diet.
American mink : The American mink is a semiaquatic mustelid native to North America and widely farmed for its fur. Fur farming and escaped populations have made this species a major conservation concern.
Procyonidae : Procyonidae is a carnivoran family that includes raccoons, coatis, and kinkajous. Procyonids resemble some mustelids in build and diet but belong to a separate family.
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