Ferret-badger

The genus was described in 1931 by Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (as Mélogale) with Melogale personata as its sole member. Sainte-Hilaire chose the genus name, which he translated to "belette blaireau" ("badger weasel") after the animal's resemblance to those other mustelids. He described M. personata as having a weasel-like shape but likened its head, claws, hair, and coloration to those of a badger (genus Meles). Sainte-Hilaire described M. personata as belonging to a distinct genus on the basis of its long, cone-shaped head.^[8]

The ferret-badger's impact on humans is through the spread of rabies. This has been documented in Taiwan and China but lack of prior documentation and research on ferret-badgers has proven a roadblock.^[9][10][11]

More information Common name, Scientific name and subspecies ...

Genus Melogale – I. Saint-Hilaire, 1831 – five species

Common name	Scientific name and subspecies	Range	Size and ecology	IUCN status and estimated population
Bornean ferret-badger	M. everetti (Thomas, 1895)	Small parts of Borneo	Size: 33–44 cm (13–17 in) long, plus 15–23 cm (6–9 in) tail[12] Habitat: Forest and shrubland[13] Diet: Primarily eats invertebrates, amphibians, insects, fruit, and carrion[12][13]	EN  Unknown [13]
Burmese ferret-badger	M. personata I. Saint-Hilaire, 1831 Five subspecies M. p. laotum M. p. nipalensis M. p. personata M. p. pierrei M. p. tonquinia	Southeast Asia	Size: 33–44 cm (13–17 in) long, plus 15–23 cm (6–9 in) tail[14] Habitat: Grassland, shrubland, and forest[15] Diet: Primarily eats insects and snails, as well as small mammals, frogs, lizards, carrion, birds, eggs, and fruit[14][15]	LC  Unknown [15]
Chinese ferret-badger	M. moschata (Gray, 1831) Seven subspecies M. m. ferreogrisea M. m. hainanensis M. m. millsi M. m. moschata M. m. sorella M. m. subaurantiaca M. m. taxilla	East Asia	Size: 30–43 cm (12–17 in) long, plus 15–21 cm (6–8 in) tail[16] Habitat: Forest, shrubland, and grassland[17] Diet: Primarily eats insects, frogs, and carrion[17]	LC  Unknown [17]
Javan ferret-badger	M. orientalis (Blanford, 1888) Two subspecies M. o. orientalis M. o. sundaicus	Parts of Java and Bali	Size: 35–40 cm (14–16 in) long, plus 14–17 cm (6–7 in) tail[18] Habitat: Shrubland and forest[19] Diet: Primarily eats invertebrates and insects[18][19]	LC  Unknown [19]
Vietnam ferret-badger	M. cucphuongensis T. Nadler, 2011	Vietnam	Size: Unknown Habitat: Forest[20] Diet: Unknown[20]	DD  Unknown [20]

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