Amazon weasel
| Amazon weasel | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Mustelidae |
| Subfamily: | Mustelinae |
| Genus: | Mustela |
| Species: | M. africana |
| Binomial name | |
| Mustela africana Desmarest, 1818 | |
 | |
| Amazon weasel range | |
The Amazon weasel (Mustela africana), also known as the tropical weasel, is a species of weasel that lives in the Amazon Rainforest in South America. It is rated "Least Concern" by the IUCN Red List. Despite its scientific name, it is not found in Africa. It is a shiny brown weasel with a white or cream belly with a brown stripe down the chest. The Amazon weasel measures 9.8 to 15 in (25 to 38 cm) in length. It has a tail length of 3.9 to 7.9 in (9.9–20.1 cm). The Amazon weasel is rarely seen and little is known about it. They eat rodents and other small mammals, and make their homes in the stumps of hollow trees.
The two subspecies of the Amazon weasel are M. a. africana and M. a. stolzmanni
References
- Emmons, L. & Helgen, K. (2008). Mustela africana. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 6 March 2009.
- Emmons, L.H. (1997). Neotropical Rainforest Mammals, 2nd ed. University of Chicago Press ISBN 0-226-20721-8
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