The Weasel Family (Mustelidae)

The weasels are a large, widely distributed family, occupying nearly every land and aquatic habitat. The family includes skunks, otters, badgers, mink, ferrets, weasels, polecats, martens, badgers and, the largest of them all, the wolverine.

The smallest carnivore in the world is also in this family - the little Least Weasel of The Americas weighs all of 30-70 grams as an adult.

The weasel family contributed greatly to the fur trade of the 18th and 19th centuries. Their furs were sought after for their beauty and practical value to protect wearers from the cold. Russian sable became a badge of wealth and rank; mink was a byword for luxury; wolverine was prized as a trimming for parka hoods because frost does not form on it; ermine was traditionally worn by British justices and lords.

These animals are grouped together as a family due to - I'm sorry to say - their odor. Their anal glands product a thick, oily, yellow, powerful-smelling fluid called musk. A little musk is secreted with the feces, which are then carefully placed where other individuals can find them. Pine martens and sable often deposit them on conspicuous stones in the middle of a track; otters leave theirs on the same riverbank sites for generation after generation.

An important secondary function of these glands is defense. When severely frightened, members of this family display unmistakeable warning signs in their behavour, and discharge musk. This is most pronounced in skunks, in which it develops at less than one month old. Most skunks forewarn predators by stamping their front feet, raising their tail and walking stiff-legged.

Spotted skunks will occasionallly bluff by handstanding without spraying, but if that fails they will drop onto all fours and spray. The spray is aimed at the face of the predator and causes intense irritation, even temporary blindness. The sulfurous smell persists in the area for days and absorbent clothing that has been sprayed is best discarded.

Although most animals avoid skunks, a noteable exception is the Great Horned owl, which does not appear to be deterred by skunk spray while foraging at night.

Skunks are the major carriers of rabies in much of the continental USA. Rabid skunks have high levels of the virus in their saliva, but skunk spray is not known to carry the virus.

Rabies outbreaks occur when the skunks' movements are most extensive, during the fall and spring months. Transmission between skunks may occur during winter communal denning when territories overlap, and also through aggressive behavior of some males towards females with litters. Since rabies reduces populations and contact between individuals, outbreaks often occur 3-4 years apart when populations are high.

There are 13 skunk species in the world. The striped skunk is found from southern Canada to northern Mexico; hooded skunks are a rare species found only in the southwestern USA; hog-nosed skunks are found in Central and South America, and spotted skunks inhabit the southern USA and Mexico.