Chinese Ferret Badger

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Chinese Ferret Badger

Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Genus: Melogale
Species: M. moschata
Binomial name
Melogale moschata
(Gray, 1831)

Distinctive mask-like face markings distinguish the Chinese Ferret Badger from other oriental mustelids. This badger lives in burrows or crevices and is active at dusk and at night. It is a good climber and feeds on fruit, insects, small animals and worms. It is savage when alarmed and its anal secretions are foul-smelling. The female gives birth to a litter of up to 3 young in May or June.

The average body size of the Chinese Ferret Badger is 33 to 43 cm with a tail of 15 to 23 cm. It lives in grassland and open forest of north eastern India, southern China, Java, and Borneo.

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