Is the ferret-badger actually a protected animal? Read on and you will understand

The ferret-badger, also known as the Chinese ferret-badger, mostly lives in forests, shrubland and grasslands of river valleys, gullies, hills and mountains. As its numbers have declined, it is now rarely seen. So is the ferret-badger a protected animal?

1. Is the ferret-badger a protected animal?

The ferret-badger is a protected animal and has been listed in the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Hunting it is currently prohibited by the state, and hunting it is an illegal act.

2. What is the difference between the ferret-badger and the masked palm civet?

1. The ferret-badger (Formosan ferret-badger), scientific name (Melogale moschata subaurantiaca), common names Men Tian Zhu, Chou Shan Li Zai, Xiao Tun Mao, Hu Qiu Mao, Tian Luo Gou; order name Carnivora (Order CARNIVORA); family name Mustelidae (Family Mustelidae). The ferret-badger is smaller in appearance than the masked palm civet, with a body length of about 30-40 cm, a short and pointed tail, the lower part of the limbs gray, and some discontinuous white patches on the head.

2. The formal name of the masked palm civet should be “white-nosed civet”, and its common folk names are: gem-faced civet, fragrant civet, white-fronted civet. The masked palm civet is mainly distributed in tropical regions, and is also distributed in Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other places in China. In animal taxonomy, the masked palm civet belongs to Mammalia, Carnivora, Viverridae, and the genus Paguma. At present, the number bred and raised by private individuals is quite large, but the status of wild populations is unknown. According to the Wildlife Protection Law of the People's Republic of China, the masked palm civet is a protected animal.

In terms of body features, the masked palm civet is slightly plump, with a thick and short neck that is not easy to distinguish from the body. The body hair is short and coarse, yellow-gray-brown in color, the hair on the head and neck is darker, and there is an obvious white longitudinal stripe from the forehead to the tip of the nose. The parts extending from above and below the eyes to below the ears each also have a white patch. The back of the neck, shoulders and ends of the limbs are black. The head and trunk length is 48-50 cm. The tail length is slightly less than the body length, about 37-41 cm, with a black tip. The limbs are thick, short and strong, each with five toes, and the claws are sharp.