2013: Zooamerica

black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes)

Another great shot as will be increasingly obvious to you, I have a fascination with mustelids!!!

My son is 11. I mention that because when I was his age it was widely believed that this animal had become extinct. Can a species be any more exciting than that?

TeaLovingDave said:

Another great shot as will be increasingly obvious to you, I have a fascination with mustelids!!!

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Haha yes I've noticed this! In response I'll give you the complete list of mustelids I've photographed. Let me know if you want me to post photos of any in particular. 42 out of a possible 57 species is not too shabby (74%) What's your total Dave? Anything on your list that's not on mine!?

The List:
1.) (Mustela erminea) ermine
2.) (Mustela frenata) long-tailed weasel
3.) (Mustela lutreola) European mink
4.) (Mustela nivalis) least weasel
5.) (Mustela putorius) European polecat
6.) (Mustela sibirica) Siberian weasel
7.) (Eira barbara) tayra
8.) (Gulo gulo) wolverine
9.) (Ictonyx libycus) Saharan striped polecat
10.) (Ictonyx striatus) Zorilla
11.) (Martes americana) American Marten
12.) (Martes flavigula) Yellow-throated Marten
13.) (Martes foina) Beech Marten
14.) (Martes martes) European Pine Marten
15.) (Martes pennanti) fisher
16.) (Mustela nigripes) Black-footed Ferret
17.) (Neovison vison) American mink
18.) (Poecilogale albinucha) African striped weasel
19.) (Galictis cuja) Lesser Grison
20.) (Galictis vittata) Greater Grison
21.) (Taxidea taxus) American badger
22.) (Meles meles) European Badger
23.) (Mellivora capensis) honey badger
24.) (Melogale moschata) Chinese ferret-badger
25.) (Conepatus chinga) Molina?s hog-nosed skunk
26.) (Conepatus humboldtii) Humboldt?s hog-nosed skunk
27.) (Conepatus leuconotus) American hog-nosed skunk
28.) (Conepatus semistriatus) striped hog-nosed skunk
29.) (Mephitis macroura) hooded skunk
30.) (Mephitis mephitis) striped skunk
31.) (Spilogale gracilis) Western Spotted Skunk
32.) (Spilogale putorius) Eastern Spotted Skunk
33.) (Aonyx capensis) African clawless otter
34.) (Aonyx cinerea) oriental small-clawed otter
35.) (Enhydra lutris) sea otter
36.) (Hydrictis maculicollis) spotted-necked otter
37.) (Lontra canadensis) North American river otter
38.) (Lontra feline) Marine Otter
39.) (Lontra longicaudis) Neotropical Otter
40.) (Lutra lutra) European Otter
41.) (Lutrogale perspicillata) Smooth-coated Otter
42.) (Pteronura brasiliensis) giant otter

Giant Eland said:

Haha yes I've noticed this! In response I'll give you the complete list of mustelids I've photographed. Let me know if you want me to post photos of any in particular. 42 out of a possible 57 species is not too shabby (74%) What's your total Dave? Anything on your list that's not on mine!?

The List:
1.) (Mustela erminea) ermine
2.) (Mustela frenata) long-tailed weasel
3.) (Mustela lutreola) European mink
4.) (Mustela nivalis) least weasel
5.) (Mustela putorius) European polecat
6.) (Mustela sibirica) Siberian weasel
7.) (Eira barbara) tayra
8.) (Gulo gulo) wolverine
9.) (Ictonyx libycus) Saharan striped polecat
10.) (Ictonyx striatus) Zorilla
11.) (Martes americana) American Marten
12.) (Martes flavigula) Yellow-throated Marten
13.) (Martes foina) Beech Marten
14.) (Martes martes) European Pine Marten
15.) (Martes pennanti) fisher
16.) (Mustela nigripes) Black-footed Ferret
17.) (Neovison vison) American mink
18.) (Poecilogale albinucha) African striped weasel
19.) (Galictis cuja) Lesser Grison
20.) (Galictis vittata) Greater Grison
21.) (Taxidea taxus) American badger
22.) (Meles meles) European Badger
23.) (Mellivora capensis) honey badger
24.) (Melogale moschata) Chinese ferret-badger
25.) (Conepatus chinga) Molina?s hog-nosed skunk
26.) (Conepatus humboldtii) Humboldt?s hog-nosed skunk
27.) (Conepatus leuconotus) American hog-nosed skunk
28.) (Conepatus semistriatus) striped hog-nosed skunk
29.) (Mephitis macroura) hooded skunk
30.) (Mephitis mephitis) striped skunk
31.) (Spilogale gracilis) Western Spotted Skunk
32.) (Spilogale putorius) Eastern Spotted Skunk
33.) (Aonyx capensis) African clawless otter
34.) (Aonyx cinerea) oriental small-clawed otter
35.) (Enhydra lutris) sea otter
36.) (Hydrictis maculicollis) spotted-necked otter
37.) (Lontra canadensis) North American river otter
38.) (Lontra feline) Marine Otter
39.) (Lontra longicaudis) Neotropical Otter
40.) (Lutra lutra) European Otter
41.) (Lutrogale perspicillata) Smooth-coated Otter
42.) (Pteronura brasiliensis) giant otter

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You're doing slightly less well than you think - there are 58 extant species of mustelid, and this total does not include the Mephitidae - so your total is actually 34/58 - 58%

Still a whole lot better than I have managed. My total is as follows, with wild ticks in italics:

1.) (Mustela erminea) ermine
2.) (Mustela nivalis) least weasel
3.) (Mustela putorius) European polecat
4.) (Vormela peregusna) Marbled polecat
5.) (Eira barbara) tayra
6.) (Gulo gulo) wolverine
7.) (Martes flavigula) Yellow-throated Marten
8.) (Martes martes) European Pine Marten
9.) (Meles meles) European Badger
10.) (Mellivora capensis) honey badger
11.) (Aonyx cinerea) oriental small-clawed otter
12.) (Lontra canadensis) North American river otter
13.) (Lutra lutra) European Otter
14.) (Lutrogale perspicillata) Smooth-coated Otter
15.) (Pteronura brasiliensis) giant otter

You will note the strange anomaly that even though they are rife as an introduced species I have yet to see the American Mink and also that I haven't seen anything which you have not.

I have highlighted species I would be interested in seeing photographs of in bold in my quote of your post.

Oops! Sorry. I grabbed my total off Wikipedia, and forgot that it didn't include skunks/stink badgers. Where do you get 58? I wasn't counting the extinct Sea mink, only living species. Is there one missing from their list of 57? Either way my Mephitidae total is a tidy 8/12 for 67% and my Mustelidae/Mephitidae combo total is 42/69 or 42/70 (if you can tell me the missing species) for 61% or 60%...I really hope to have that extra 1%...

I'll upload those bolded species photos later today when I have a chance. Were there any other mammal families you wanted me to give you my photo list for?

Great shot! When I went here and saw this species, it had been sleeping in its burrow and I just saw a bundled up ball, much like Smithsonian's did

You've gotten some great photos from this place! When I went I couldn't get too many good photos. I suppose you've had a lot more experience then me, though.

~Thylo

IanRRobinson said:

My son is 11. I mention that because when I was his age it was widely believed that this animal had become extinct. Can a species be any more exciting than that?

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It is a truly great conservation story. Now there are several hundred of them in the wild. Unfortunately there is still an endless battle to be fought to secure their prairie dog prey base, which is also endangered many places.

I find it funny that the species was only rediscovered when a farmer's dog had caught and killed one, or at least that's what I learned happened.

~Thylo

ThylacineAlive said:

I find it funny that the species was only rediscovered when a farmer's dog had caught and killed one, or at least that's what I learned happened.

~Thylo

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Yes, that is how it happened.