Felines are fine, Canines are cool, but Mustelids are magnificent. Part 2.

Because y'all asked me so politely by getting me to front page last time here is the second part of my mustelid preview. You can see a link to part one at the bottom of the post. This post will have a lot more of the members of the weasel family. Keep in mind though that just like the wolverine and badger even these smaller and more agile creatures show the same bravery and determination that makes their big cousins so ferocious.

Oh, and that little guy up there is a baby stoat.

Before I get to the smaller members I wanted to start big. This is the megalictis ferox. This was a prehistoric mustelid that would easily be the largest member of the family. Wolverines are plenty amazing and ferocious, and this is basically a giant wolverine. Megalictis could grow up to 2 to 3 times the size of a wolverine. Because we have so little to go on though there is a lot of debate over their size. The largest estimates put them around the size of a black bear while more conservative estimates are only about twice the size of a wolverine. Either way I can't imagine any prehistoric beasts being eager to tangle with a mustelid this large. I'm sure even Mammoths and giant sloths would have given this guy the right of way. "Oh shit it's megalictis, run!"

This guy is the third largest mustelid on the planet, the giant otter. Also known as the South American giant river otter. This is the mustelid that makes its home in the wild and crazy Amazon. These guys can weigh up to 70 pounds at the largest and over seven feet long! (2.4 meters in non-freedom units.) These guys are amazing and fantastic predators that are capable of taking down the black caiman. Black caimans are a type of crocodilian closely related to the alligator, and can reach sizes of up to 2,400 pounds! (1,100kg NFU) These otters have an advantage on the poor reptiles by the nature of their warm blood. They can exert themselves for far longer and can harass and attack the caimans until they are worn out and then eat them alive. One mistake though could cost an otter its life and yet they successfully hunt them on a regular basis. This makes them one of the top predators in the amazon. They have also been known to kill and eat the anaconda. This is all due to their size, speed, and like other mustelids, tremendous bite force.

Here is a great video of an otter family killing a caiman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01iWx4476pY

Pine Marten! There are american and European pine martens and both are amazing creatures. Martens are part of the weasel family and so are closely related to minks and ferrets. What really makes them stand out is their semi retractable claws which allow them to climb trees like a pro and their intense agility. Watching martens go after prey requires fast eyesight because they look like they're moving in fast forward. There is a great youtube video of a marten hunting a hare I will link at the end that demonstrates the incredible speed and agility of these animals. They are extremely adept at hunting all types of tree dwelling and ground dwelling rodents like squirrels and rabbits. They are extremely good at hunting in the snow as well, which is very helpful in winter. Also of note is their ability to hunt at any time of day and night allowing them to pick the perfect times to catch their prey off guard. Lastly, they are frickin adorable. I can't even handle how cute these little guys are!

Cute marten video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx0gXM_FkgE - Peterson does a lot of mustelid videos and all are worth watching, but he does get some details wrong and they were filmed before skunks were moved to a different family.

Marten hunting hare - **DISCLAIMER - If you're soft hearted don't watch this** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpKJA9sJ1Ac&t=166s

Fisher! These guys were highly requested by folks in the first part as many of our Imgurians live in the New England area where these thrive. They are known there as fisher cats despite the fact that they are not felines at all. Fishers are only slightly larger than ferrets and martens weighing up to 13 pounds. (6kg NFU) These guys are the reason that folks from Nova Scotia down to West Virginia and all the way to Alaska shouldn't let their cats or small dogs outside at night. Fishers are extremely good hunters at all times of the day but are particularly active at night. The real cool thing about the fisher though is that it's the only animal that actively includes porcupines as a part of its diet. That's not a typo, these badasses kill and eat porcupines on a regular basis by biting them repeatedly on the face over a span of half an hour. They are just too fast for the porcupine to tag with its quills. If that's not hardcore nothing is.

Porcupine "Ah stop that, I'm covered in needles you fool!"
Fisher "and?"
Porcupine "I'm fucked huh."Fisher *nods*

This was by far the best photo out there of a fisher so check out his site for some really cool photos of animals.

Here is a fisher hunting a squirrel - **minor squirrel death screams, skip the end to avoid them** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7smmd_AgAw4

The least weasel is tiny but just like other mustelids is totally fearless. I couldn't help but use this photo because it shows the dedication and fearlessness these animals have. This poor woodpecker does become a meal for this little guy. Least weasels are the smallest members of the mustelid family, and it's incredible to think that these guys who only get up to 10 inches (260mm NFU) are cousins to the sea otter. Least weasels hunt and kill anything they think they can take down, which due to their ferocity is an awful lot. These are most common all over the northern hemisphere and are well adapted to the cold. You may have seen the video of Ozzy the weasel, who is a member of this group.

Ozzy - super cute war dance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdRXuyBOyow

The Stoat/Ermine is a crazy little guy. The name ermine is often used when referring to a stoat with a white winter coat. This picture is one doing the thing it's famous for, the war dance. I linked a video above of Ozzy the least weasel war dancing, but nobody sells it like a stoat. Stoats use the war dance to catch and hunt rabbits who become hypnotized by the bizarre behavior. The war dance is what we like to refer to here in America as flipping the fuck out. They jump, flip, twist, and zig-zag until you think they've gone mad, but it's all part of a plan. I'm sure they're having fun but it's just designed to lure prey into a false sense of security because it looks so damned non threatening. Below is a video of it from the Nat-Geo.

War Dance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODEUK5sB5vE
Hunting and killing a rabbit 10x its size. **minor rabbit death screams** - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNbqvqf3-14

Cat Tax! This is Frigg helping me grade mid-term tests. Frigg is best cat! Easily the best pet I've ever owned.

Thank you all for reading along with me. I hope maybe you'll grow to appreciate mustelids as much as I do. They are such amazing animals and pound for pound the biggest badasses around. They pull this off while being insanely cute, which is hard to do. If you would like me to create a part three there are more to show and I can revisit some with new and fun videos and stories.

If this makes front page again feel free to send me anything that would make my day a little better! I hope you have a good one too.

http://imgur.com/gallery/e8Vkt - part 1.