Palawan Stink Badger

Taxobox
name = Palawan Stink Badger
status = VU
status_system = iucn2.3
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Carnivora
familia = Mephitidae
genus = "Mydaus"
species = "M. marchei"
binomial = "Mydaus marchei"
binomial_authority = (Huet, 1887)

The Palawan stink badger ("Mydaus marchei") is a small skunk that lives on the Philippine Islands of Palawan and Busuanga. They live primarily in the grasslands and in cultivated areas on these islands.Once considered relatively common, they have recently been classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN due to their limited geographic range. Presently there are no local laws protecting this species.

Description

The Palawan stink badger has a stocky body with short muscular legs. They have a long, cone-shaped face with a naked snout. Their front paws have long curved claws. They are mostly dark brown with a pale yellow patch on top of the head which fades to stripes to the shoulders.They are called "stink badgers" because they secrete a foul-smelling fluid from their anal glands. However this fluid is not considered as noxious as the secretion of the Javan Stink Badger, a related species from Indonesia.

External links

* [http://www.lioncrusher.com/animal.asp?animal=207 Carnivore Site]
* [http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/14055/all IUCN RedList]