The Fur Animals of Louisiana 431 



WEASEL. 



Louisiana Weasel. Mustela noveboracensis arthnri Hall. 



Measurements. — Total length, male 15 inches, female 14.3 inches; tail 

 vertebrate, 4.5 inches; hind foot, 1.7 inches. The female is always 

 smaller. 



Range. — Louisiana only ; may be found also in Mississippi. Records in 

 Louisiana include St. James, Ascension, Assumption, West Feliciana, 

 St. Helena, and Plaquemines parishes. Full range yet to be estab- 

 lished. 



Description. — See chapter on Weasel. 



MINK 



Louisiana Mink. Mustela vison vulgivaga (Bangs). 



Measurements. — Total length, 24.5 inches; tail vertabrate, 7.5 inches; 

 hind foot, 2.9 inches. Females are noticeably smaller. 



Range. — Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi. North in the Mississippi 



river bottoms to northern Louisiana (Miller). 

 Description. — See chapter on Mink. 



OTTER 



Caroi ina Otter. Lutra canadensis latazina (F. Cuvier). 



Measurements.- — Total length, 45 inches; tail vertebrate, 18 inches. 

 Range. — -Found in southeastern states, North and South Carolina ; limit 

 of range unknown (Anthony). 



Description. — The identification of the otter found in Louisiana is only 

 provisional. Skulls from Cameron parish examined by E. Reymond 

 Hall indicate that our otter represents a form intermediate in size 

 between L. c. lataxina and L. c. vaga, but Dr. Hall believes that 

 until further research is made that the Louisiana otter should stand 

 as named above. 



SKUNKS 



Little Spotted Skunk ("Civet Cat"). Spilogale indianola Merriam. 



Measurements. — Total length, males, from 17.6 to 21 inches; tail verte- 

 brate, 6.6 to 8.2 inches; hind foot, 1.8 to 2 inches. Females are 

 slightly smaller than the males. 



Range. — Coast region of Texas and Louisiana; south to Victoria, 

 Tamaulipas, Mexico (Howell). This skunk is found in Calcasieu, 

 Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Terrebonne, Lafourche, Livingston, Iber- 

 ville, Allen, Cameron, East and West Feliciana, and Vernon parishes. 

 The Louisiana distribution has not been thoroughly worked out. 



Gulf Striped Skunk. Mephitis elongata (Bangs). 



.Measurements. — Total length, 28 inches; tail vertebrate, 12.6 inches; 

 hind foot, 3 inches. 



Range. — Florida to North Carolina, and in the mountains to West Vir- 

 ginia ; west on the Gulf coast to the Mississippi river (Howell). It 

 would appear from our researches that the Mississippi river is not 

 the western limit of this species, so its range in Louisiana as given 

 is merely provisional. 



Description. — Size medium, with sexes about equal ; tail very long, 



marked with white on the sides, and with a long white pencil ; 



markings on back variable but white stripes usually very broad 

 ( Howell). 



