Fun Trivia » Animals » Carnivores » Mustelidae-Weasel Family

The honey badger is the only species in the genus Mellivora, and was once assigned to the badger sub-family Melinae. It has now been observed that they are actually more closely related to the Guloninae family, with their bushy tails, big paws and retractile claws.

Nevertheless, the honey badger has its own sub-family name: Mellivorinae. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Stenopus hispidus, Podiceps nigricollis, Meles meles

The spray is produced by their anal glands and, chemically speaking, it's (E)-2-butene-1-thiol, 3-methyl-1-butanethiol, 2-quinolinemethanethiol, and their acetate thioesters. The combination of thioacetates and carbon and hydrogen groupings have an extra bonus: when water first hits them, it rearranges them into more a more potent chemical configuration. That's why after being "skunked", hosing down a dog or taking a shower will make the smell worse! However, it will eventually wash off, and with frequent bathing, the smell should be gone in about a week. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Blood, Urine, Spittle

The short legs of badgers are designed to be used in digging. Badgers get most of their food underground so this is very important as it alows them to tunnel quickly after underground rodents. Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

fighting dangerous animals, skating around, hopping through forests

The honey badger just loves honey, and can easily rip apart a beehive without any injury as its thick fur prevents it from being stung. Badgers are known for their long lasting underground cavelike dwellings as well, an old one discovered to be over 1,000 feet long.

If anyone is interested in the "Treasure of The Sierra Madre" quote, it follows:
"Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinkin' badges!" This was said to Dobbs {Humphrey Bogart} and his companions by "Gold Hat", leader of the banditos. He was played by Alfonso Bedoya in the 1948 film about greed, distrust and despair. Don't scroll down if you haven't seen the film!

Spoiler:
Just in case anyone has never seen the film, the treasure was in the form of gold dust, and the sandy Sierra Madre gets windy. Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

Monogamous and cuddly, Very sweet , Hums while it hunts

The wolverine has been known throughout history for gluttony. All members of the weasel family have high metabolisms and thus large appetites. In addition, wolverines were reviled for what was seen as a type of gluttony- urinating on food stores that they appropriated from trappers and others, to mark the food as "theirs." Difficulty: Hard.

 

A double reference to the light patch on the wolverine's throat (gullet), An onomatopoetic reference to the sound a wolverine makes, Taken from the Gwich'in word for "wolverine"

"Meles" is Latin for "badger". Mustela erminea is the stoat, Gulo gulo is the wolverine, and Lutra lutra is the European otter. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Mustela erminea, Gulo gulo, Lutra lutra

There are four skunk species in North America:
(1)Spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius)
(2)Striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis)
(3)Hooded skunk (Mephitis macroura)
(4)Hognose skunk (Conepatus mesoleucus)

Difficulty: Hard.

 

2, 6, 3

Their spray can be smelled in a concentration as small as 10 parts per billion. In a small town, everybody gets a sniff! Difficulty: Hard.

 

100 yards, 10 miles, 20 miles

The scent glands of badgers allow them to produce an unpleasant smell through their anal glands at times when they are threatened or need to warn each other. The gland under the badger's tail exudes a musky smell that is used for scent marking and communicating with each other. Difficulty: Average.

 

under its leg, inside the mouth, behind the ears

Ratel comes from Afrikaans (for pronouciation and further info: http://mw1.m-w.com/dictionary/ratel). In honour of the fierce animal, "Ratel" is the nickname chosen by the South African army for its common IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle).

The taxonomical name of the honey badger is Mellivora capensis which translates to "honey eater of the cape" (i.e. the Cape of Good Hope).

In Hebrew "dvash" is "honey" (and "girit dvash" is "honey badger") and "parpar" is "butterfly", whereas "monsouk" is a random invention.

For all this, and more, the honey badger receives the Word Wizard badge.
Difficulty: Hard.

 

Parpar, Dvash, Monsouk

The wolverine is smaller than most people think, with males averaging 35 pounds. Females are much smaller; on average only half the size of males. In addition to the distinguishing tan stripes, there may be a white spot on the chest. The wolverine also has a short, wide, powerful muzzle and a bushy tail. The human description is of the character Wolverine from "The X-Men" comics and movies. Difficulty: Hard.

 

About the size of a Labrador retriever, with long, dark-brown hair and white spots on the paws and the tip of the tail., About the size of a wolf, with light-brown dense hair tipped with a gold color like a grizzly., Long adamantium claws, slicked-back black hair, fierce scowl on the face...well, not really.

Wolverines reproduce every other year, with a typical litter being of 1-6 kits. Wiffel I made up, I think it has a nice ring to it though. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Codling, Pup, Wiffel

The domestic ferret is a subspecies of the European Polecat, Mustela Putorius. No feral populations of the domestic ferret are known to exist in the US. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Oklahoma, Florida, Alaska

A wild animal won't attack another skunk after being sprayed once (unless it's incredibly stupid). Surprisingly enough, the great horned owl doesn't seem to be affected by the power of skunk spray. It may be that the owl can silently snatch and kill the skunk before it has time to spray. One study of a GHO's nest resulted in finding the remains of 57 skunks. Difficulty: Average.

 

Wolf, Mountain lion, Bobcat

The word "sett" comes from "cete", a term for a group of badgers. Each sett is home to a clan of up to a dozen badgers, and features numerous entrances and underground chambers, which the badgers keep lined with grass bedding. Difficulty: Hard.

 

A den, A warren, A bunker

Skunks are native to most parts of North America and Mexico, but no known skunk species are native to France. :-) There has recently been a push to grant Skunks their own taxonomical family. Some universities now place them in the family Mephitidae, the Skunk family, based on certain genetic evidence which may prove their split from other members of Mustelidae goes further back than once believed. The reclassification is still being debated, and that may continue for some time, however I believe it will likely stick. This just proves taxonomy is a tricky business. Difficulty: Hard.

The spray can be quite detrimental to people with breathing problems, such as COPD or asthma. Nearly everybody who gets a direct spray will vomit. Getting sprayed in the eyes is very painful and will cause temporary loss of sight, but thorough rinsing will clean it out and the eyes will be fine in a day or so. Be aware: if a skunk starts acting agitated near you, quietly and gently walk away. Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

A runny nose, Temporary blindness, Violent sickness

The European badger is considered to be one of the biggest badgers. Other types of badgers such as the American badger, the hog badger and the honey badger are all larger than the ferret badger. Difficulty: Hard.

 

stink badger, honey badger, hog badger

But badgers will also eat the other three options, as well as fruit, seeds, eggs, and other small animals like frogs. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Roots, Small rodents, Insects

Most studies show that about 70 percent of a skunk's diet consists of insects. Of this 70 percent, many of these insects are considered harmful to agriculture, or public health in general. Difficulty: Hard.

 

20 %, 50 %, 45 %

Mustela nigripes, the Black-Footed Ferret, is the only ferret native to North America. Its natural habitat ranged from Southern Canada to Texas, cutting a broad swath through the central and western United States. Currently the unfortunate Black-Footed Ferret is extinct in the wild, though efforts are being taken to cultivate and reintroduce populations throughout the ferret's habitat. The Mustelidae Enhydra lutris nereis is the Southern Sea Otter. Aplodontia rufa nigra is the Point Arena Mountain Beaver. Leopardus pardalis is the ocelot. All four of these species are listed on the US Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species list. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Aplodontia rufa nigra, Mustelidae Enhydra lutris nereis, Leopardus pardalis

A calf can be a baby cow, giraffe or elephant. Other animals have young that are called calf too. Baby sharks are called pups and baby kangaroos are joeys. Difficulty: Hard.

 

calf , pup, joey

The young are called cubs - like bear young - but the adults are named the same as swine. Badgers are not related to swine, but closer to weasels. They are easily distinguished by their markings: black face with white marks, long weasel-like heads, usually grey body and black legs. They also have a pale underbelly and a light stripe that runs from head to tail. They measure about 35 inches long. Badgers have been known to adopt young foxes and coyotes, and even a human child. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Souweeee, Boss, Bess

Young skunks are referred to as kittens. Difficulty: Hard.

 

a pup, a cria, a smolt

The Sea Otter has developed the ability to use rocks as a clam-cracking tool. They are also known to wrap themselves in kelp to prevent drifting during sleep. Quite the clever critter. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Wolverine, Badger, Fisher

The mother honey badger is very devoted to protecting her young. The kit will usually leave the sow at around 14 months of age, but sometimes even stay with her for two years. Difficulty: Hard.

 

2 weeks, 6 months, 1 year

Yes, they escaped (or were intentionally released). It's legal to have a pet skunk in the UK (with a license), but the Animal Welfare Act of 2006 made it illegal to remove their scent glands except as medical requirements. I'm sure there are a lot of pet skunks in the UK that have "medical requirements" (and understandably so). Difficulty: Easy.

 

They swam, They snuck over in ships or planes, They were carried by great horned owls

He may not seem speedy, but consider how close to the ground he is! Badgers are devilishly persistent, and are not ordinarily approachable. If they can't run away, they may turn and fight. Badger baiting used to be called a sport. Thankfully it is now illegal almost everywhere, as in the U.K. in 1835 under the "Cruelty to Animals Act", and the 1992 "Protection of Badgers Act". Difficulty: Hard.

 

5 to 8 miles per hour, 30+ miles per hour, 2 to 6 miles per hour

Wolverine fur is used as trim on parkas and jackets due to its frost-resistant properties. This is a very unfortunate situation for wolverines, as many are trapped every year for this purpose. Difficulty: Hard.

 

It does not generate static electricity, It is hollow, Its odor scares away rabbits and deer

The smooth hairs of the wolverine's coat make it especially resistant to frost. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Warm winter fur coats, Rugs, Baby blankets

These tiny mustelids are found in the northern portions of North America, as far south as North Carolina, Northern Asia, and Japan. A population was introduced to New Zealand as well. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Little Spotted Skunk, Hairy Nosed Otter, American Pine Marten

You know how rowdy boys can get. Just about the only time a skunk will spray another is when they fight over girl skunks. When they squabble and argue over den space in the fall (they don't really hibernate, but they do become dormant), they use their teeth and powerful claws. Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

When they're hungry, When skunks get together for a stink party, When females are trying to wean their young

A pig of any gender may be called hog or swine. The doe is a female deer. Difficulty: Easy.

 

hog, swine, doe

Some are solitary, and some are social, even clannish. A group of badgers is called a clan or a cete. Their shelters are almost always underground dens, called setts. They may even party down there, as badgers are known to sometimes get drunk on fermented or rotting fruit. They wear special party hats and dance the night away... But, really, badgers have become popular characters in literature by authors Kenneth Grahame, Roald Dahl, T.H. White, C.S.Lewis, Lafcadio Hearn and more. They are also the state animal of Wisconsin and mascots of the athletic teams there.

Yes, they really get drunk! Some birds who eat the Brazilian Pepper shrub berries also get drunk. Who knows what wild and crazy things they may do! Difficulty: Hard.

 

Solitary, Social, Sociopath

There are many tall tales of wolverines bringing down full-grown moose, but in actuality, the wolverine derives much of its diet from scavenging already-dead large ungulates. Like a hyena, the wolverine has extremely powerful jaws that can crush even large bones. A wolverine's jaws are so powerful that it can chew through chain-link fence! Difficulty: Average.

 

Hunter of large mammals, Insectivore, Hunter of fish

Members of the family Mustelidae have five toes on each foot. Some species have partially retractable claws, but in all cases, the claws on the feet of mustelids are weight-bearing. This means mustelids canNOT be declawed. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Four toes, Four toes and a dewclaw, Five toes and a dewclaw

There are several theories as to how the honey badger also became named the "ratel" - one is the warning, rattling noise that the honey badger makes, when threatened.

It is also said to be derived from the Dutch word for "honeycomb" - "raat."

Difficulty: Hard.

 

Stink badger, Marmoset, Chinkara

A pet skunk will sniff out the best spot to do its "business." Put the litter box right there and keep it clean; a skunk will avoid a dirty box. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Rub their nose in any "accident", Smack 'em with a flip-flop, Move the litter box daily to keep interest up

"Dachs" means badger in German, as the dog was bred to flush out badgers for hunters. In the U.K. it is now not permissible to block off the entrance to a badger's home except during a fox hunt when it may be partially blocked to prevent the fox from accidentally getting in. It's just not politically correct to badger badgers! Difficulty: Hard.

 

Harrier, Borzoi, Ridgeback

An adult male wolverine can have a home range of more than 920 square kilometers/355 square miles! Females have home ranges about half the size of males. Wolverines are constantly on the move; mountain ranges, rivers, and other geographic features are no barrier to them. Difficulty: Hard.

 

They are concentrated around rich sources of food, Many wolverines share one home range, They never cross rivers