CHAPTER XVIII 



CARNIVORES continued 



THE WEASEL FAMILY 

 Family MUSTELID^ 



WITH the Weasel family, in which are included not only the weasels and their 

 immediate allies, but likewise the badgers and otters, we come to the last group of 

 terrestrial Carnivores. The family is thus a very extensive one, and also one in 

 which many of the varioms members differ very widely from one another in external 

 appearances, as well as in the structure of their teeth. A large number of the 

 species and among them the typical forms are, however, characterized by their 



SKELETON OT? WEASEI,. 



long and slender bodies and short limbs; while the great majority are of medium or 

 small size, and none are very large. 



In the general characteristics of the base of the skull the members of the Weasel 

 family agree with the bears and raccoons. They are, however, distinguished from 

 these by having but a single pair of molar teeth in the upper jaw, while they agree 

 with the raccoons in generally having but two pairs of these teeth in the lower jaw. 

 The ratels have, however, only a single pair of lower molar teeth. The skull of any 

 member of the family may always be distinguished from that of any other Carnivore 

 by the inner portion of the upper molar tooth being wider in the antero-posterior 

 direction than its outer portion, this characteristic being exhibited in the figure of 

 the palate of an otter given later on, although in this case the whole tooth is rela- 

 tively wider than usual. The skull is further characterized by the great develop- 

 ment of the curved ridges of bone by which the lower jaw is held in place, which 

 grip the condyle of the latter so tightly that it is sometimes difficult or impossible to 

 detach it from the skull proper. As in the two preceding families, the feet are in 

 all cases provided with five toes. 



From the structure of the skull, as well as from certain features in the anatomy 

 of the soft parts, it has been generally considered that the weasels are most nearly 



(635) 



