The back-striped weasel (''Mustela strigidorsa''), also called the stripe-backed weasel, is a
weasel
Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender b ...
widely distributed in
Southeastern Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...
. It is listed as
Least Concern
A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...
on the
IUCN Red List
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...
in view of its presumed large population, occurrence in many protected areas, apparent tolerance to some degree of habitat modification and hunting pressure.
Characteristics
The back-striped weasel is distinguished from all other ''
Mustela'' species by the presence of a narrow, silvery dorsal streak extending from the
occiput
The occipital bone () is a cranial dermal bone and the main bone of the occiput (back and lower part of the skull). It is trapezoidal in shape and curved on itself like a shallow dish. The occipital bone overlies the occipital lobes of the cereb ...
almost to the root of the tail, with a corresponding yellowish ventral streak from the chest along the abdomen. The general colour of the dorsal surface varies from deep to paler chocolate brown, sometimes a little paler on the head and usually slightly darkened along the side of the dorsal streak. The tail and limbs are of the same hue as the back. The upper lip from the rhinarium, the chin and the throat up to the level of the ears are pale varying from whitish to ochreous. On the hind throat and fore chest, the pale hue gradually narrows in extent, and is quite narrow between the forelegs, where it passes into the ventral streak, which expands on the inguinal region between thighs. The pads of the feet are well developed, the plantar ads being four-lobed, with the area around them entirely naked.
The bushy tail is rather long, being more than half the length of the head and body. The length of head and body of males is , while the tail length is .
A live-captured juvenile male was estimated to weigh only .
Distribution and habitat
The occurrence of the stripe-backed weasel has been confirmed from scattered localities in and around northeastern
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, northern and central
Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
, southern
China, northern
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
, northern and central
Laos and
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
at an elevation range from sea level to . It inhabits a wide variety of habitats, and it is not yet possible to define its habitat needs. Specimens collected came from dense hill jungle, hill
evergreen forest
An evergreen forest is a forest made up of evergreen trees. They occur across a wide range of climatic zones, and include trees such as conifers and holly in cold climates, eucalyptus, Live oak, acacias, magnolia, and banksia in more temperate zo ...
, disturbed evergreen forest, lower montane evergreen forest and lowland evergreen forest. Most field sightings were in daylight.
[
In India, it was recorded in ]Dampa Tiger Reserve
Dampa Tiger Reserve or Dampha Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve of western Mizoram, India. It covers an area of about in the Lushai Hills at an altitude range of . It was declared a tiger reserve in 1994 and is part of Project Tiger.
The tropic ...
in 1994, and in Namdapha National Park.
In Laos, two individuals were sighted in 2008, both near streams in evergreen forest
An evergreen forest is a forest made up of evergreen trees. They occur across a wide range of climatic zones, and include trees such as conifers and holly in cold climates, eucalyptus, Live oak, acacias, magnolia, and banksia in more temperate zo ...
in Nakai–Nam Theun
Nakai-Nam Theun National Park in Nakai District, Khammouane Province, Laos, is one of the last remaining wildernesses in Southeast Asia. Nakai-Nam Theun covers approximately 4,270 km2 of the Annamite Range and the adjacent Nakai Plateau in ...
National Biodiversity Conservation Area.
Ecology and behavior
In the Naga Hills, one was seen fighting with a large bandicoot rat.[
]
Threats
The back-striped weasel is potentially threatened by snares placed in its habitat, which target small edible wildlife.
Conservation
The back-striped weasel is protected in Thailand and nationally listed as Endangered in China.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1142024
back-striped weasel
Mammals of Southeast Asia
Mammals of China
Mammals of Laos
Mammals of Thailand
Mammals of Vietnam
Fauna of Sikkim
Fauna of Eastern Himalaya
Fauna of Yunnan
back-striped weasel
back-striped weasel