#Galictis vittata

[snototter]

A greater grison (Galictis vittata) in Las Pumas Rescue Center, Cañas, Costa Rica

by Bernard Dupont

[amber-tortoiseshell]

Phylogenetic weasel tournament

Family: Mustelidae

Subfamily: Ictonychinae

Genus: Galictis

Two very similar southern american species. They differ in their sizes and their natural ranges.

pictures: 1, 2, 3, 4

[grison-in-space]

OH MY GOD A GRISON IS A MUSTELID AND THAT'S WHY YOUR BLOG IS CALLED "WEASELS IN SPACE" OH MY GOD IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW!!!

YEP THAT'S IT

all the avatars etc are the greater grison, Galictis vittata, which is native to Central America and northern South America. It's a generalist hunter and largely diurnal, which is why it's on my short list for predators that might localize singing mice by ear, but they're also Just Funny Guys.

People usually assume it's a honey badger / ratel, but if you look at a ratel next to a grison you can see that it's kind of like putting a fisher next to a wolverine. Here's the ratel:

Despite the similar coloring, grison are not closely related to badgers generally or ratels more specifically. You can see this in the phylogeny below, which has neat little sketches of the lesser grison (G. vittata) next to its home in the Ictonychinae with the polecats and the ratel itself (Mellivora capensis) right there on the very edge of the true badgers in the Melinae. All similarities are examples of convergent evolution.

By the way, you can see the tayra (Eira barbara) on this phylogeny too--they're a basal branch of the Guloninae with the wolverines.

[ainawgsd]

The greater grison (Galictis vittata), is a species of mustelid native to Southern Mexico, Central America, and South America. The greater grison is a slender animal with short legs, a long neck, and a short, bushy tail. They have a head-body length ranging from 18 to 24 inches. Adults weigh between 3.3 and 8.4 lbs in the wild, but may become larger when reared in captivity.

The back, flanks, top of the head, and the tail, are grizzled grey in color, while the rest of the body is much darker, and usually solid black. A narrow whitish stripe separates the darker and lighter fur on the head and shoulder, but not further back, where the two colors may, in some individuals, blur into one another. The tail is covered with bushy hair similar in color to that on the animal's back. The head is flattened and broad, with short, rounded ears, and dark brown to black eyes. The legs are muscular, with five webbed toes, each ending in a sharp, curved claw.

Litters of up to four young are born from March to September, after a gestation period of 39 days. Their eyes open after two weeks, and they begin to eat solid food at three weeks, reaching the adult size in just four months.

Greater grisons are native to Central and South America, ranging from southern Mexico in the north, to central Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia in the south. They inhabit a wide range of forest and cerrado habitats, and are usually seen near rivers and streams. In some regions, they may also be found in cultivated areas, such as plantations and rice paddies.

Greater grisons are primarily terrestrial, although they can climb trees and swim well. They are mostly diurnal, and only occasionally active at night. They live alone or in pairs, with home ranges of at least 1.6 sq miles, and a very low population density, such that they are rarely encountered in the wild. They spend the night sleeping in cavities in hollow logs or beneath tree roots, or else in the abandoned burrows of other animals.

Little is known of their diet, although it consists largely of small vertebrates, such as fish, amphibians, birds, and other mammals. While hunting, they move in a zigzag pattern, making short bounds and occasionally stopping to look around with their heads raised and sniff the air. When moving more cautiously, they press their bodies close to the ground in a movement that has been described as 'snake-like'. They have been reported to respond to threats with a series of grunts that rise in intensity and frequency until they become rapid barks, and finally a single loud scream with their teeth bared.

Like many other mustelids, greater grisons possess anal scent glands that secrete a yellowish or greenish musk. Although not especially noxious in comparison with that of other species, this can be sprayed at attackers, as well as being used to mark the grison's territory.

[typhlonectes]

Greater Grison (Galictis vittata)

The greater grison (Galictis vittata), is a species of mustelid native to South and Central America. They inhabit a wide range of forest and cerrado habitats, and are usually seen near rivers and streams. They are typically found at elevations below 500 metres (1,600 ft), but they may be found as high as 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) in some parts of the Bolivian Andes.

Greater grisons are primarily terrestrial, although they can climb trees and swim well. They are mostly diurnal, and only occasionally active at night.[4] They live alone or in pairs, with home ranges of at least 4.2 square kilometres (1.6 sq mi), and a very low population density, such that they are rarely encountered in the wild. They spend the night sleeping in cavities in hollow logs or beneath tree roots, or else in the abandoned burrows of other animals...

Read more: Wikipedia

photographs by Tony Hisgett | Flickr CC

[mustelidmess]

Furão - Greater Grison - Galictis vittata - 6521_1627 by zafonso on Flickr.

[heaveninawildflower]

Galictis vittata (Greater Grison) 1780, plate from 'Histoire naturelle des quadrupèdes représentés d´après nature' - Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber.

via Wikimedia

[astronomy-to-zoology]

Greater Grison (Galictis vittata)

is a species of mustelid (weasels and allies) found in Central and South America from Mexico to Brazil. Like their badger relatives they are short and slender, nocturnal and will eat almost anything they can get their hands on from fruit, birds, fish, amphibians and small mammals. The grisons can be found in most habitats that south america has to offer from shrublands, grasslands, woodlands and even rainforests. not too much is known about their behavior as they are hard to track.

Phylogeny

Animalia-Chordata-Mammalia-Carnivora-Mustelidae-Calictis-vittata

Image Sources: 1,2

[amber-tortoiseshell]

Phylogenetic weasel tournament

Family: Mustelidae

Subfamily: Ictonychinae

Genus: Galictis, Lyncodon

Greater grison

Patagonian weasel

pictures: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

[typhlonectes]

Kids Saving the Rainforest - Costa Rica:

Balu, a grison (Galictis vittata) , just upgraded from the nursery to rehabilitation in preparation for release. Great job Balu!