What family are they classified as?

[ejw829]

If you're interested in the whole scientific classification deal, it goes something like this:
Kindgom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Insectivora
Family: Erinaceidae (close to the Latin word for hedgehog)
and then you have Genus and Species to make up the proper binomial nomenclature deal for the species' name such as Atelerix albiventris, Erinaceus europeaus , etc.
and yeah... no relation to porcupines, but relation to moles and shrews.
Sorry this post is so dry... Take care!

Hey, Roxie!

Do you have the kingdom to family explanation of ferrets handy :confused: One of my coworkers insists that ferrets are rodents and I'm about 99.99% sure that the 3 ferrets I owned WERE NOT rodents :laugh:

[nannyogg]

Ferrets are mustelids, like skunks.

Tig

[ejw829]

Ferrets are mustelids, like skunks.

Tig


I keep trying to explain that to my co-worker but he won't listen :banghead: He is trying to convince me that mustelids (and insectivores, for that matter) are related to rodents. I told him, yes, they are, and so is your dog. They are all mammals. That's when he stopped listening :laugh:

[Sarah+Sonic]

Skunks are mephitis unlike ferrets.
;)

http://dragoo.org/Classify.html

http://www.stevekemper.net/work3.htm

Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Class - Mammalia (http://www.mammalsociety.org/)
Order - Carnivora (http://dragoo.org/Carnivore.html)
Family - Mephitidae (http://dragoo.org/Mephitidae.html) (Bonaparte 1845)
Genus - Mephitis E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire and G. Baron Cuvier 1795
Species - Mephitis macroura Lichtenstein 1832
Species - Mephitis mephitis (Schreber 1776)

Sarah

[nannyogg]

That's interesting; I've usually seen skunks listed in the mustelids, like in the clips below =)

Tig

Meaning of MUSTELID

http://www.hyperdictionary.com/images/space.gifWordNet Dictionary Definition: [n] fissiped (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/fissiped) fur (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/fur)-bearing (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/bearing) carnivorous (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/carnivorous) mammals (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/mammals) Synonyms: musteline (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/musteline), musteline mammal (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/musteline+mammal) See Also: badger (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/badger), black-footed ferret (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/black-footed+ferret), carcajou (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/carcajou), carnivore (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/carnivore), Eira barbara (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/Eira+barbara), Enhydra lutris (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/Enhydra+lutris), family Mustelidae (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/family+Mustelidae), ferret (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/ferret), fitch (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/fitch), foulmart (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/foulmart), foumart (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/foumart), Galictis vittatus (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/Galictis+vittatus), glutton (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/glutton), grison (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/grison), Grison vittatus (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/Grison+vittatus), Gulo gulo (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/Gulo+gulo), Gulo luscus (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/Gulo+luscus), honey badger (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/honey+badger), marten (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/marten), marten cat (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/marten+cat), Mellivora capensis (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/Mellivora+capensis), mink (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/mink), Mustela nigripes (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/Mustela+nigripes), Mustela putorius (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/Mustela+putorius), Mustelidae (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/Mustelidae), otter (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/otter), polecat (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/polecat), ratel (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/ratel), sea otter (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/sea+otter), skunk (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/skunk), skunk bear (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/skunk+bear), taira (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/taira), tayra (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/tayra), weasel (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/weasel), wolverine (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/wolverine), wood pussy (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/wood+pussy)

Meaning of SKUNK

Pronunciation: skungk

http://www.hyperdictionary.com/images/space.gifWordNet Dictionary Definition:
[n] American (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/american) musteline (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/musteline) mammal (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/mammal) typically (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/typically) ejecting (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/ejecting) an (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/an) intensely (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/intensely) malodorous (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/malodorous) fluid (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/fluid) when (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/when) startled (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/startled); in (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/in) some (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/some) classifications (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/classifications) put (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/put) in (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/in) a (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/a) separate (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/separate) subfamily (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/subfamily) Mephitinae (http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/mephitinae)




Noun1.mustelid - fissiped fur-bearing carnivorous mammals musteline (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/musteline), musteline mammal (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/musteline%20mammal)
carnivore (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/carnivore) - terrestrial or aquatic flesh-eating mammal; terrestrial carnivores have four or five clawed digits on each limb

family Mustelidae (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/family%20Mustelidae), Mustelidae (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Mustelidae) - weasels; polecats; ferrets; minks; fishers; otters; badgers; skunks; wolverines; martens
Dancing with Badgers:

A Dry Discussion of Who's Who and What's What

Well, this is the business end of the discussion, if you will. In the interest of completeness, I'll provide a brief summary of the mustelid family group. Then, in case you'd like to pursue the subject in more detail, I'll conclude with some recommended links and even a book you might like.

A Rogue's Gallery

The mustelids are a diverse group that encompasses weasels, badgers, skunks, and otters. Let's take a review look at each of these four common denominations, starting with the one we've skipped so far, the otters. I haven't spent any time discussing the otters, primarily because they don't fit either of the criteria that interested me: They get pretty good press, in general, and there isn't much mystery about them. They are a diverse bunch, even in the context of the huge diversity the mustelids represent. There is a sea otter who is effectively a non-terrestrial creature like the seal. There are the familiar river otters, whose water sports have been immortalized by Disney nature films and their imitators. There is the giant otter of South America, the largest mustelid at over 50 pounds. They are all pretty clearly related species, in terms of appearance and behavior. (see http://www.dancingbadger.com/mustel08.htm for the rest of this one... =)

[Sarah+Sonic]

They've been reclassified (Thanks to Dr.Dragoo)
"Dr. Dragoo, noted Mephitologist from the Museum of Southwestern Biology at the University of New Mexico, writes: "It is hard know when the skunks's color pattern developed. The fur does not fossilize. It is believed that the black and white color pattern is the early warning system for potential predators. As for the scent glands, all carnivores have them so they have probably been around since the first carnivores about 60 million years ago. Most carnivores use their scent glands for marking territory or signaling other members of the species. The glands are well developed in the Mustelidae (weasels,otters, and badgers) and they are extremely well developed in the Mephitidae (skunks).'

http://www.skuntry.com/skunkevolution.cfm

At least it is sure theyre still skunks ;)

[Silly_Quilly]

Awww... .skunks are soooo cute. I hear they make great pets. It will be an icy day in **** before i'll ever be allowed to own one though... maybe someday..

[CoquiMom]

Unfortunately Tig, skunks are no longer classified as Mustelids. If you look at www.dragoo.org you can find out more than you ever wanted to know about skunks.

The site is owned and run by Dr.Jerry Dragoo. He is a premier animal geneticist and a wonderful human being. He is at the University of New Mexico. He found quite a while ago now that skunks are genetically not mustelids. The now are in a class of their own, mephitidae.

These sites and clips you have posted show the problem with the internet, you cannot always trust sites to have the correct information.

[nannyogg]

Interesting! =) LOL, guess it takes the rest of the world a long time to catch up to new stuff =)

Tig