The Colombian weasel (''Neogale felipei''), also known as Don Felipe's weasel, is a very rare species of

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 slend ...

only known with certainty from the departments of Huila and Cauca in

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...

and nearby northern

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

(where it is only known from a single

specimen Specimen may refer to: Science and technology * Sample (material), a limited quantity of something which is intended to be similar to and represent a larger amount * Biological specimen or biospecimen, an organic specimen held by a biorepository f ...

). Both its

scientific Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

and alternative

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

honours the mammalogist Philip "Don Felipe" Hershkovitz. It appears to be largely restricted to

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks a ...

habitats at an altitude of . There is extensive

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated ...

within its limited distribution within the northern Andes of

and

, and with less than 10 known specimens, it is probably the rarest

carnivora Carnivora is a Clade, monophyletic order of Placentalia, placental mammals consisting of the most recent common ancestor of all felidae, cat-like and canidae, dog-like animals, and all descendants of that ancestor. Members of this group are f ...

n in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...

.Novak, R. M. 1999. ''Walker's Mammals of the World''. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. It is considered vulnerable by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

. It is the second-smallest living carnivoran on average, being only slightly larger than the

least weasel The least weasel (''Mustela nivalis''), little weasel, common weasel, or simply weasel is the smallest member of the genus '' Mustela,'' family Mustelidae and order Carnivora. It is native to Eurasia, North America and North Africa, and has be ...

(''Mustela nivalis'') and slightly smaller than the

stoat The stoat (''Mustela erminea''), also known as the Eurasian ermine, Beringian ermine and ermine, is a mustelid native to Eurasia and the northern portions of North America. Because of its wide circumpolar distribution, it is listed as Least Conc ...

or ermine (''M. erminea''). The upperparts and tail are blackish-brown, while the underparts are orange-

buff Buff or BUFF may refer to: People * Buff (surname), a list of people * Buff (nickname), a list of people * Johnny Buff, ring name of American world champion boxer John Lisky (1888–1955) * Buff Bagwell, a ring name of American professional w ...

. The species was formerly only known from specimens until the first photo of a living individual was taken in 2011 by an amateur naturalist who found one trapped in his parents' house; the weasel subsequently escaped to the outdoors. The image was uploaded to

iNaturalist iNaturalist is a social network of naturalists, citizen scientists, and biologists built on the concept of mapping and sharing observations of biodiversity across the globe. iNaturalist may be accessed via its website or from its mobile applic ...

in 2018, where it gained widespread attention.

Taxonomy

Originally described in the genus '' Mustela'', a 2021 study reclassified into the genus ''

Neogale ''Neogale'' is a genus of mustelid native to the Americas, ranging from Alaska south to Bolivia. Members of this genus are known as New World weasels. Taxonomy Members in this genus were formerly classified into the genera '' Mustela'' and '' ...

'' along with 2 other former ''Mustela'' species, as well as the two species formerly classified in ''

Neovison ''Neogale'' is a genus of mustelid native to the Americas, ranging from Alaska south to Bolivia. Members of this genus are known as New World weasels. Taxonomy Members in this genus were formerly classified into the genera '' Mustela'' and '' ...

''.

Description

''N. felipei'' has an elongated body with an average length of , and a tail long. Weight ranges between . ''N. felipei'' has a dark dorsal color with no variation, ventrally the weasel has a light orange color with gradual fading of color up to the head. Hair color from the tail to the nose is uniform with no striping or spotting. ''N. felipei'' has an inflated

auditory bulla The tympanic part of the temporal bone is a curved plate of bone lying below the squamous part of the temporal bone, in front of the mastoid process, and surrounding the external part of the ear canal. It originates as a separate bone (tympanic ...

located near the dorsal midline on the body, along with a wide mesopterygoid fossa. The soles of the feet lack any fur, and extensive webbing is located on the second, third, and fourth digits, suggesting a semi-aquatic lifestyle.

Distribution and habitat

''N. felipei'' is one of the least studied carnivore species in the Americas. Photos taken of a Colombian weasel by Juan de Roux are the first known photos of a living Colombian weasel. These tiny carnivores are thought to maintain a larger geographical range that currently known. Reports of sightings have placed ''N. felipei'' in the mountain ranges of western Colombia to northern Ecuador. ''N. felipei'' was originally thought to be endemic to Colombia however recent specimens have been collected in Ecuador that have since proven this thought wrong. Distribution and habitat modeling surveys have been able to predict that ''N. felipei'' is distributed between 20 protected areas in Colombia, and 14 in Ecuador along with three previously known locations in both countries, the majority of these locations lie in protected areas of the forest. From geographic modeling, and collected specimens it has been concluded that ''Neogale felipei'' lives in largely riparian habitats, primarily staying close to rivers, streams, and along the shorelines of other natural water sources. Since this habitat lies in an elevation range of it is classified as being in a "cloud forest" consisting of 100% humidity adding to the riparian habitat.

Diet

''N. felipei'' is a carnivorous mammal that preys primarily on fish, other small aquatic animals, and small terrestrial mammals. Hunting is aided by the use of webbed feet and camouflaged fur.

Conservation status

''Neogale felipei'' has been recognized by the IUCN as being vulnerable and having a decreasing population. However, due to rarity of sighting, and deforestation of known habitat it remains unclear as to the true numbers of individuals that make up the population.

References

Bibliography

* Izor, R. J. and N. E. Peterson. 1985. Notes on South American weasels. ''Journal of Mammalogy'' 66: 788–790. * Burneo, S., José F. González-Maya, and D. Tirira
"Distribution and habitat modelling for Colombian Weasel ''Mustela felipei'' in the Northern Andes."
Small Carnivore Conservation 41 (2009): 41–45. * Martínez-Arias, Víctor M
"Has Colombian Weasel ''Mustela felipei'' been overlooked in collections?"
Héctor E. Ramírez-Chaves. Small Carnivore Conservation 47 (2012): 30–34. * Tirira, Diego G., and José F. González-Maya
"Current state of knowledge of the least-known carnivore in South America: Colombian Weasel ''Mustela felipei'' in Colombia and Ecuador."
Small Carnivore Conservation 41 (2009): 46–50. * Loyola, R. D., De Oliveira, G., Diniz-Filho, J. A. F. and Lewinsohn, T. M. (2008), "Conservation of Neotropical carnivores under different prioritization scenarios: mapping species traits to minimize conservation conflicts." Diversity and Distributions, 14: 949–960. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1508910 Weasels Carnivorans of South America Endemic fauna of Colombia Endemic fauna of Ecuador Mammals of the Andes Mammals of Colombia Mammals of Ecuador Vulnerable animals Vulnerable biota of South America Mammals described in 1978 Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN