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Mustelid

Mustelidae
Temporal range: 15–0 Ma
Early Miocene – Recent
WEASEL.JPG
Long-tailed weasel
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Synapsida
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Caniformia
Superfamily: Musteloidea
Family: Mustelidae
G. Fischer de Waldheim, 1817
Type genus
Mustela
Linnaeus, 1758
Subfamilies

Lutrinae (otters)
Melinae (European badgers)
Mellivorinae (honey badgers)
Taxidiinae (American badgers)
Mustelinae (weasels, tayra, wolverines, martens, polecats)

Note ambiguity about classification at the section Systematics.


Lutrinae (otters)
Melinae (European badgers)
Mellivorinae (honey badgers)
Taxidiinae (American badgers)
Mustelinae (weasels, tayra, wolverines, martens, polecats)

Note ambiguity about classification at the section Systematics.

The Mustelidae (from Latin mustela, weasel) are a family of carnivorous mammals, including the weasel, badger, otter, marten, ferret, mink, stoat, and wolverine. Mustelids are diverse and the largest family in the order Carnivora. The internal classification is still disputed, with rival proposals containing between two and eight subfamilies. One study, published in 2008, questions the long-accepted Mustelinae subfamily, and suggests that the Mustelidae consist of four major clades and three much smaller lineages.

Mustelids vary greatly in size and behaviour. The least weasel is not much larger than a mouse, while the giant otter can measure up to 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) in length and sea otters can exceed 45 kg (99 lb) in weight. The wolverine can crush bones as thick as the femur of a moose to get at the marrow, and has been seen attempting to drive bears away from their kills. The sea otter uses rocks to break open shellfish to eat. The marten is largely arboreal, while the badger digs extensive networks of tunnels, called setts. Some mustelids have been domesticated: the ferret and the tayra are kept as pets (although the tayra requires a Dangerous Wild Animals licence in the UK), or as working animals for hunting or vermin control. Others have been important in the fur trade—the mink is often raised for its fur.


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Wikipedia

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