And while I’m on the #Mustelid love:

How did I not know about Zorillas?

FACT! A member of the weasel family, NOT a skunk.
FACT! Can make smells like burnt hair & farts!
FACT! Carefully dug Zorilla graves have been found in caves made by early humans. Were they pets? Guards? Sacrifices?
FACT! Males & females are only told apart by they way they WALK.
FACT! Zorilla is the diminutive of a female fox in Spanish. (Zorro, Zorra). So it means ‘Little Vixens’. ☺️

#wildlife #zoology #zorillas #animals

The evolution and spread of Mustelidae since the Miocene seems to hint at astonishing versatility and agility in the face of changing environments. This blog post is amazing on the divergence of #badgers #wolverines #otters #weasels #mink #ferrets #zorillas #martens #stoats and the rest.

So how is it that they remain marginal?

https://synapsida.blogspot.com/2012/11/weasels-in-stone-mustelid-evolution.html?m=1