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Mustelids in captivity

Discussion in 'General Zoo Discussion' started by Zoovolunteer, 17 Nov 2018.

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  1. Zoovolunteer

    Zoovolunteer Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Some mustelids such as various otter species are common in captivity, but others such as martens, zorillas, and the smaller species are seen much less often. What unusual mustelids have people seen, or would like to see?
     
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  2. Daktari JG

    Daktari JG Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Black footed ferrets are always nice to see (particularly since they've been extinct!). Never seen but would like to: wolverine
     
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  3. Great Argus

    Great Argus Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Long-tailed Weasel and the Newfoundland subspecies of American Pine Marten are probably my most unusual.
     
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  4. drill

    drill Well-Known Member

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    Zorilla
    Ferret
    Weasel
    Marten
     
  5. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

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    1) Where did you see Zorilla?
    2) Naming random groups of mustelids isn't quite what this thread is intended for :p
     
  6. drill

    drill Well-Known Member

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    sorry. Rainforest Adventures Zoo in Tennessee
     
  7. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

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    It would be interesting to discover whether the collection genuinely holds the species, as it is not unknown for other species to be passed off as zorilla :p got any photographs?
     
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  8. Great Argus

    Great Argus Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    This is an interesting facility, non-AZA and lacking a gallery on Zoochat. Looking them up, a photo claimed to be African Genet came up on a website promoting them! No clue if it's accurate, guessing TLD might have more input on this? Attached the photo. Link to the website: RainForest Adventures

    Other photos include a kid petting an adult African Crested Porcupine, and a girl with what I think is a Salmon-crested Cockatoo on her arm while another pets it. The bird obviously looks nervous and ready to bite. Various lemurs, Golden-headed Lion Tamarin, Serval, macaws, and monitors are the most common animals turning up in photos. No photos of any mustelid seen. The only mustelid their website claims is simply ferret.
    @drill any further information on the Zorilla?
     

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  9. ThylacineAlive

    ThylacineAlive Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Mustelids I've seen:
    -Cape Clawless Otter
    -Oriental Small-Clawed Otter
    -Guianan Tayra
    -Southern Sea Otter
    -Eurasian Wolverine
    -Spotted-Necked Otter
    -North American River Otter
    -European Otter
    -Indochinese Smooth-Coated Otter
    -American Marten
    -Northern Yellow-Throated Marten
    -European Marten
    -European Badger
    -South African Ratel
    -Central African Ratel
    -Californian Long-Tailed Weasel
    -Spanish Mink
    -Middle Russian Mink
    -Black-Footed Ferret
    -Welsh Polecat
    -Fisher
    -Northern Giant Otter
    -Mexican Badger
    -Great Lakes Badger
    -Siberian Weasel
    -Zorilla
    -Greater Grison
    -Beech Marten
    -Marbled Polecat

    29 taxa (30 if you count Domestic Ferret), not bad :)

    ~Thylo
     
  10. ThylacineAlive

    ThylacineAlive Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    That is a genet, likely Cape or Rusty-Spotted but I don't know the differences.

    ~Thylo
     
  11. Great Argus

    Great Argus Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I know it's a genet, but I don't know what species. Considering any genet is rare in NA, curious to know what species it is.
     
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  12. ThylacineAlive

    ThylacineAlive Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Both are present in the private trade in the US, though Cape is the common one. Of course there are several other species kept and bred privately in Europe that could have made their way over here.

    ~Thylo
     
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  13. drill

    drill Well-Known Member

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    Last edited by a moderator: 19 Nov 2018
  14. Great Argus

    Great Argus Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Last edited by a moderator: 19 Nov 2018
  15. drill

    drill Well-Known Member

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    I'm pretty sure it is. I asked a worker there. She said that it is one of the only Zorillas in American zoos.
     
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  16. ThylacineAlive

    ThylacineAlive Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    TLD's point is that there are several species labeled "Zorilla" in the private trade that aren't actually Zorilla. It could very well be one, but it could also be one of the striped weasels. Either way it's a super rare find.

    ~Thylo
     
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  17. Great Argus

    Great Argus Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Personal list after doublechecking:

    American Badger
    Long-tailed Weasel
    American Mink
    American Pine Marten (Newfoundland subspecies)
    Asian Small-clawed Otter
    North American River Otter
    Cape Clawless Otter
    Spot-necked Otter
    Sea Otter

    Also domestic ferret if you count it.

    Been unlucky enough to miss Giant Otter and Ratel... have really good luck with Sea Otter both captive and wild though.
     
  18. Kakapo

    Kakapo Well-Known Member

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    It can vary a lot depending of the definition of "unusual", but I think that maybe small-clawed otters are the only species that we can call "usual" in zoos, so everything else would be "unusual". In my case this would include:

    -Chinese ferret-badger (Melogale moschata)
    -Clawless otter (Aonyx capensis)
    -Eurasian badger (Meles meles)
    -European mink (Mustela lutreola)
    -Giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis)
    -Honey badger (Mellivora capensis cottoni)
    -North American river otter (Lutra canadensis)
    -Sea otter (Enhydra lutris)
    -Tayra (Eira barbara)
    -Wolverine (Gulo gulo)
    -Yellow-throated marten (Martes flavigula)

    In the wild, also least weasel (Mustela nivalis)

    Pretty much every species not seen/photographed before, but the most wished species would be:

    African striped weasel (Poecilogale albinucha)
    Back-striped weasel (Mustela strigidorsa)
    Black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes)
    Greater and lesser grisons (Galictis spp)
    Hog badger (Arctonyx collaris)
    Japanese badger (Meles anakuma)
    Japanese marten (Martes melampus)
    Malayan weasel (Mustela nudipes)
    Nilgiri marten (Martes gwatkinsii)
    Patagonian weasel (Lyncodon patagonicus)
    Spot-necked otter (Lutra maculicollis)
    Zorrilla (Ictonyx striatus)

    And my most wished of all: Marbled polecat (Vormela peregusna) :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
     
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  19. Zoovolunteer

    Zoovolunteer Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Zorilla and Marbled Polecat are definitely my own top 2 mustelids to see. Incidentally, this blog is really great on mammals and has a long series on all the worlds mustelids starting here:
    Synapsida: The World of Weasels
     
  20. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

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    I think it is Rusty-Spotted, but cannot be 100% certain - when I am back at home I shall check my copy of HMW to see if that helps pin it down.
     
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