Mustelids

Question 1

What is the mustelid family?

Answer 1

The Weasel Family

Question 2

What is the class?

Answer 2

mammalia

Question 3

What is the order? What does this mean?

Answer 3

Carnivora. This means they are dog-like (which is a rather heterogenous group compared to felids)

Question 4

Approximately how many species of mustelids are there vs how many there are in North America?

Answer 4

56 vs 15

Question 5

What genera encompasses Otters?

Answer 5

Lutra and Enhydra

Question 6

What are characteristics of otters?

Answer 6

playful and least aggressive hunters

Question 7

What genera encompasses Martens and Fishers?

Answer 7

Martes

Question 8

What are characteristics of Martens?

Answer 8

spend most of their time in trees, hunt squirrels and birds (primarily bird eggs), very agile/quick

Question 9

What are characteristics of Fishers?

Answer 9

one of the few predators of porcupines. Not a threat to humans, often stay out of the way

Question 10

What genera makes up the weasels (3 species), black-footed ferret? What did this genera used to include?

Answer 10

Mustela

minks

Question 11

What are the three species of weasels? What are characteristics of weasels?

Answer 11

long-tail weasel, short-tail weasel (most common), least weasel
Good hunters, can kill animals much larger than them, often overkill which results in more food than necessary

Question 12

What is unique about the least weasel?

Answer 12

overactive dopaminergic system, OCD-like behaviour

Question 13

What genera makes up the minks?

Answer 13

neovision

Question 14

What are characteristics of the minks?

Answer 14

American (river) mink: smaller in size, may go to the sea occasionally. There is a difference in fe/male size → sexual dimorphism
Sea mink: used to exist in Nova Scotia, now extinct

Question 15

What is the genera for the American badger called?

Answer 15

Taxidea taxus

Question 16

What are characteristics of the American badger?

Answer 16

Sexual dimorphism prominent

The European species is social, the American badger is not.

Question 17

What is the greenera for the wolverine? What are the characteristics?

Answer 17

Gulo gulo

very aggressive

Question 18

What is the genera for skunks?

Answer 18

Mephitis, Conepatus, Spilogale

Question 19

What are characteristics of skunks?

Answer 19

Perform poorly on cognitive testing, have tendencies to adopt babies belonging to other species (particularly kittens)

Question 20

What are main characteristics of mustelids? (6)

Answer 20

·Heterogenous: differences in sizes, shapes
·Strong odour and functional anal glands: allow them to mark things for sexual signalling
·Solitary (aside from otters and European badgers): otters are gregarious but not technically social; they often hunt together but do not form permanent social groups
·Delayed implantation: mate in the fall but the female does not actually become pregnant until the spring
·Sexually dimorphic: males are typically larger than females (Strongly associated with polygyny in which the male has multiple female partners)
·Often playful, intelligent (aside from skunks), and aggressive hunters (aside from otters)

Question 21

What is polyandry? When does it occur?

Answer 21

the female has multiple male partners, it is typically the females that are bigger

Question 22

What is the largest industry in Nova Scotia? Where does it take place? Is it scrutinized? Why or why not? What do offspring look like?

Answer 22

Mink Farming: the largest industry in Nova Scotia (by a large margin)
o Mainly takes place in Southwest N.S. with the domestic mink
Scrutinized because it is not a highly legislated industry
o The domestic minks sometimes escape and interbreed with local wild mink
Offspring typically appear darker in colour with a white spot on their chest, which is a typical trait of domesticated animals

Question 23

Why were ferrets domesticated in Europe? Where are most of the ferrets domesticated in North America? What are characteristics of these ferrets?

Answer 23

domesticated by the Romans for hunting purposes where the ferrets would flush rabbits out of their boroughs
o Most ferrets in North America are bred in Quebec and are riddled with genetic diseases and defects
A majority of them die of cancer

Question 24

What are characteristics of the river otter?

Answer 24

Strong jaws allow them to break open shellfish, crustaceans

·Crepuscular: most active during dusk and dawn but not much throughout the day

Question 25

Which is the largest mustelid?

Answer 25

Pine Marten.

Question 26

Regarding endocrine mechanisms behind seasonal albinism, describe what happens in spring and winter.

Answer 26

Spring: longer days = suppression of melatonin = increase in MSH, and gonadotropins = brown, grey, “blue” or blackish colour.

Winter: shorter days = less suppression of melatonin = low levels of MSH, and gonadotropins = white colour.

Question 27

The _____ turns white in the winter.

Answer 27

Short-tailed weasel.

Question 28

Define the endocrinology of seasonal albinism. What are gonadotropins and MSH?

Answer 28

Pineal gland (melatonin) and Pituitary gland (trophics).

Gonadotropins: Estrogens (females) and androgens (males).

MSH: melanocyte-stimulating hormone.

Question 29

How does the white fur of short-tailed weasels help them in the winter? How can it not help them?

Answer 29

White colour in the winter helps the weasels to blend into the snow easier
o They chase small rodents underneath the snow in the winter
Easily targetable in Nova Scotia by predators
o Rain washes snow away often which leaves the ground brown; white weasel easily stands out