Mustelidae

The river otter is part of the family Mustelidae, which is the weasel family. They have an elongated body that is widest at the hips with short and stocky legs. Another characteristic of this family is having a muscular neck that is in thickness equal to or greater than that of its head. River otters have a tail that is approximately one-third of their total body length with the end being tapered. They have a small flat head that with small anterior eyes, broad muzzle, long thick whiskers, and small round ears that blend in with the pelage. River otter fur is short and very dense for waterproofing. The standard shade is a light brown to black color with a high sheen, with the fur of older individuals becoming white-tipped. There is a slight sexual dimorphism where the males are approximately five percent larger than females of the same age. They range is size from 11-31 pounds with the average male weighing approximately 25 pounds and the females weighing…

Signs of Mink Present Successfully identifying signs of mink present is first being able to identify the animal and knowing its habits and preferred habitat. With their range encompassing almost all of the 49 continental states and a healthy population, finding signs of the presence of minks isn’t difficult if you recognize what to look for. Is it a Mink, Weasel or Otter? Minks are members of the weasel family and look very similar to weasels and otters. When attempting to identify the animal…

The Black Footed Ferret is a mammal that is a nocturnal carnivore, but is close to the brink of extinction. The ferret gets its name not only from the black colors around his legs, but also from the dark spots around its eyes, and tail. The Ferret’s body is about 15 to 20 inches long, with a tail of about 4 to 5 inches long. They have small legs, but sharp claws for digging their homes, or into the prey’s homes. They also have very strong jaws made for chewing meat of the prey. The Ferrets are…

Interesting facts about the otter They at times hold hands while walking just like humans do, and just like humans, they also employ the use of tools to make their life easier. The otter is a small mammal that is interesting. It is from the same family as the honey badger, minks and polecats as well as wolverines and martens; the family Mustelidae also known as the weasel family. There are 13 species of the otter that are in existence today and these are the Lutrogale perspicillata, Hydrictis…

About the Art This work of art was created in 1856, it depicts two animals of the species Putorius erminea, more commonly called the Stoat, Ermine, or the White Weasel. Though the stoat is not actually considered a weasel, stoats are a larger species related to weasels but they are not weasels. Weasels are apart of the genus Mustela while Stoat’s are of the genus Putorius. The stoats fur color changes in the winter to a bright white color, weasels do not have this evolutionary advantage. This…

There are many different organisms and mammals that inhabit the oceans of our world and each one is unique and special to their environments. Each organism has a vital role to play and each is important in keeping our oceans balanced. Two of my favorite animals that I’d like to explore further is the sea otters and the manatees, both amazing marine mammals. Both animals are now considered endangered and many have taken acts towards conservation for them to perhaps strive once again in the…

Description: o Physical characteristics of sea otters possess is the fact that they are small animals with short legs which have thick fur and short circular ears which means that they belong to the family Mustelidae[1]. The sea otters have varying fur colors from dark brown to black [6]. They are also highly social animals who travel in groups called rafts; a single raft could range from 10 sea otters to over 100 sea otters [6].  Scientific Name[1]: Enhydra lutis …

Otter is a common name for a carnivorous mammal in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the weasel family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, martens, minks, polecats, Eurasian and American badgers, honey badgers and wolverines. Otters have long, slim bodies and relatively short limbs with webbed paws. Most have sharp claws on their feet and all except the sea otter…

The Hedgehog Erinaceous europaeus Hedgehogs are fascinating creatures! With such a small body length and only weighing a few ounces, it’s astonishing they are not categorized as rodents. What’s even weirder is that some hedgehogs eat dog food. Hedgehogs have a much shorter gestation period compared to other animals. Have you ever wondered what a hedgehog looks like? The head, body, and tail length is about 6-14 inches, and they only weigh about 14-39 ounces. The gender differences are very…

Sea otters are known as one of the largest members of the weasel family, Mustelidae, but are one of the smallest marine mammals. Unlike most marine mammals, who have blubber that serve as a thermal insulator, sea otters have fur. Their fur is one of the densest, softest furs in the animal kingdom--that is also water-resistant. They are omnivores with a diet consisting of crabs, abalone, sea stars, squid, sea urchins, sea worms and around 40 other bottom-dwelling invertebrates. Furthermore, to…