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mustelid, (family Mustelidae), any of about 62 species of ferrets, polecats, badgers, martens, otters, the wolverine, and other members of the weasel family. Historically, skunks were also included in Mustelidae, but genetic analyses suggest that they belong to a separate family of their own (Mephitidae). Mustelids are fur-bearing carnivores ...
Skunks were previously included as a subfamily of the mustelids, but DNA research placed them in their own separate family (Mephitidae). Mongooses bear a striking resemblance to many mustelids, but belong to a distinctly different suborder —the Feliformia (all those carnivores sharing more recent origins with the cats ) and not the Caniformia ...
In reality, both skunk and mustelid are correct terms, but they refer to different things. Skunk is the common name for a type of mammal that belongs to the family Mephitidae. On the other hand, mustelid refers to a family of carnivorous mammals that includes animals such as weasels, ferrets, and otters.
Mustelids include the polecats, the badgers, the martens, the otters, the wolverine, and other members of the weasel family. Historically, skunks have also been included in Mustelidae, but genetic analyses suggest that they belong to a separate family of their own (Mephitidae). Mustelids are.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
They are similar to, though much more developed than, the glands found in species of the family Mustelidae. Skunks have two glands, one on each side of the anus. These glands produce the skunk's spray, which is a mixture of sulfur-containing chemicals such as thiols (traditionally called mercaptans), which have an offensive odor. The thiols ...
While many authors have traditionally considered skunks a subfamily within Mustelidae, recent molecular evidence indicates that skunks do not lie within the mustelid group and instead are recognized as a single family, Mephitidae, a systematic understanding which is accepted here (Dragoo and Honeycutt, 1997; Flynn et al., 2005; Marmi et. al ...
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The extant family Mustelidae includes five subfamilies: the Mustelinae (weasels, mink, polecats, and martens); the Mellivorinae (honey badgers), the Melinae (badgers), the Mephitinae (skunks), and the Lutrinae (otters). Skunks (genera Conepatus, Mephitis, and Spilogale) and stink badgers (genus Mydaus) have been suggested as belonging to their ...
