The "'European badger "'( " Meles meles " ) " . } } is a species of badger in the family Mustelidae and is native to almost all of Europe and some parts of the Middle East.
32.
The most recent molecular-trichotomy within the broad superfamily Musteloidea ( Flynn et al ., 2001 ) that also includes the Procyonidae ( raccoons ) and a group that further subdivides into the Mephitidae ( skunks ) and Mustelidae ( weasels ); but it is not a bear ( Ursidae ).
33.
Stink badgers were traditionally thought to be related to true badgers in the ( subfamily Melinae ) of the weasel family of carnivores, the Mustelidae, but recent DNA analysis so strongly suggests they share a more recent common ancestor with skunks that experts have now placed them in the skunk family of carnivores, the Mephitidae.
34.
The "'stoat "'( " Mustela erminea " ), also known as the "'short-tailed weasel "', is a mammal of the genus " Mustela " of the family Mustelidae native to Eurasia and North America, distinguished from the least weasel by its larger size and longer tail with a prominent black tip.
The "'least weasel "'( " Mustela nivalis " ), or simply "'weasel "'in the UK, is the smallest member of the genus " Mustela " and of the family Mustelidae ( as well as the smallest of the Carnivora ), native to Eurasia, North America and North Africa, though it has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Malta, Crete, Bermuda, Madeira Island, the Azores, the Canary Islands, Sao Tome, the Falkland Islands, Argentina and Chile.
37.
Family : Was Mustelidae; may become Mephitidae Range : Found in the lower 48 Kinds : Spotted, striped, hooded, hognosed ( the last two are found mainly in the Southwestern states ) Enemies : Great horned owls, coyotes, Chevrolets Lifespan : Two to seven years in the wild, but up to 20 in captivity ( it is not legal to keep them as pets in Massachusetts, but it is legal in 18 other states ) Spray : The musky foam can be shot 16 feet; with a " favorable wind, " up to 23 feet _ but with less accuracy.
38.
The superfamily Canoidea ( or suborder Caniformia ) Canidae ( wolves, dogs and foxes ), Mephitidae ( skunks and stink badgers ), Mustelidae ( weasels, badgers, and otters ), Procyonidae ( raccoons ), Ursidae ( bears ), Ailuridae ( red panda ), Otariidae ( eared seals ), Odobenidae ( walrus ), and Phocidae ( earless seals ) ( the last three families formerly classified in the superfamily Pinnipedia ) and the extinct family Amphicyonidae ( bear-dogs ) are characterized by having nonchambered or partially chambered auditory bullae, nonretractable claws, and a well-developed baculum.
