Representative pelts of Illinois fur animals. Left to right, top row, 
red fox, raccoon, mink, badger and gray fox; lower row, skunk, 
muskrat, coyote, long-tailed weasel (brown phase), long-tailed 
weasel (white phase), opossum. The muskrat ranks first, both in 
number of pelts and in total value in the Illinois catch; second 
in number is the opossum, but second in total value of catch is the 
mink. Third in total value is the raccoon. The most valuable pelt 
produced by Illinois fur-bearing animals is that of the mink. The 
skunk pelt shown is the narrow stripe grade. Because of its 
scarcity, the badger is now protected the year around in Illinois. 
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