SPECIES OF MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC AREA 81 or dirty white and the muzzle gray. The front legs are noticeably bowed, the front paws inturned. A specimen as long as four feet is a large animal. Little has been published about its habits but it is known to be a good climber. Weasel-like Mammals. Family Mustelid^ The Yellow- throated Marten (Martes flamgula) ranges from China and Amurland southward to Formosa, Sumatra, Banka, Java, and Borneo. Its color is brown, gradually dark- Fig. 34 — Yellow-throated Marten ening from light brown on the shoulders to very dark brown or even black on the lower back and tail. As its name signifies, the throat is orange-yellow. This marten has short legs, long body, long tail, and pointed nose, and is about the size of a small cat. The Japanese Marten (Martes melampus) differs in color on the several Japanese islands. On Kuishui Island it is a rich golden brown, while on Hondo and Tsushima the back is much browner. All specimens have a bright orange throat. The Sable (Martes zihellina), also one of the martens, is well known for its valuable fur, which is generally blackish above with gray on the nose and^ face. Often there is a yellow patch on the throat. It is found in the forests of northern Asia, especially in eastern Siberia and Kamchatka. It has been reported on Sakhalin.
The Ermine or Stoat (Mustela erminea) is the large weasel present throughout northern Europe and Asia. In summer this
82 MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC WORLD animal's fur is brown with white underparts, but in winter the coat changes to white. The tip of the tail is always black. The ermine is found in northern Japan and Sakhalin. The Pygmy Weasel {Mustela rixosa) is the smallest of the carnivores. The head and body length is about six inches, the tail about one and one-half inches. Like the ermine, this weasel turns white in winter ; the tip of the tail is never black. Pygmy weasels or closely related forms occur in parts of North America, Asia, and Europe. They are found too in the Aleutians, Kurile Islands, and Japan.
The Java Weasel {Mustela lutreolina) could be mistaken in size and color for our American mink. Its shorter hair, usual in tropical animals, distinguishes it. Though it is believed to be confined to Java, it may be found in Sumatra as well. The Bare-footed Weasel (Mustela nudipes) of Sumatra and Borneo is about the size of the mink. Its color is pale orangebrown, paler on the head. The tail is rather bushy. The Oriental Weasel (Mustela siberica) is similar to the bare-footed weasel but the soles between the foot pads are hairy. It is found throughout eastern Asia from Siberia to southern China and in Japan and Formosa. The pelts of this weasel, dyed a dark color, are known in the fur trade as Japanese mink and kolinsky.
The wolverine (Gulo gulo) is found in the northern districts of North America, Europe, and Asia, including the forests of Sakhalin. Its dark brown fur is marked with two paler stripes which begin at the shoulders and pass along the sides of the body to meet again at the tail. The wolverine is about three and one-half feet long and weighs nearly thirty pounds. The Eurasian Badger (Meles meles) is represented in Japan by a race somewhat darker than the typical European form. Its coat is dark gray. The nose, a stripe down the forehead, the lower face, the ears, throat, and chest are whitish. The badger is about three feet in length, including the tail which is about eight inches long.
SPECIES OF MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC AREA 83 The Ferret Badger (Helictis orientalis) is about the size of the American skunk. The somewhat bushy tail is about nine inches long. The body hair is brown, with a stripe extending from the top of the head between the shoulders halfway down the back. Markings on the face and cheek are white; the tail also is white. The throat and chin are white with a strong orange tinge. The ferret badgers occur from China and Formosa south to Java and Borneo.
Fig. S5—Teledu The Hog-nosed or Sand Badger {Arctonyx collaris) occurs from the eastern Himalayas and China south to Sumatra. Its appearance reminds one of the American badger. However, its body is higher, and its tail and bare snout are longer. The color is dirty gray. The soft underfur contrasts with the long, stiff guard hairs. The lower part of the body is dark, the legs often black. The length of the head and body is about thirty inches and the tail about ten.
The Teledu or Malay Badger {Mydaus javanensis) is confined to Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and Bunguran Island. It is comparatively small; the head and body are about fifteen inches long and the short tail scarcely one inch. The long thick fur is dark brown above, lighter below, with a white stripe ex-
84 MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC WORLD tending from the crown along the center of the back. This animal is noted for its skunk-like ability to eject an evil-smelling fluid for a considerable distance.
The Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra) is represented by forms in Japan, Formosa, Sumatra, and Java. The smooth otter (Lutra perspicillata) of India, recognized by its shorter, smoother coat, is found also in Sumatra. The hairy-nosed otter (Lutra sumatrana) of the Malay States, Sumatra, Banka, and Borneo is distinguished from others by its completely hairy muzzle. The small-clawed otter (Lutra cinerea), a much smaller species, ranges from northern India and China to Sumatra, Java, and Borneo.
The Sea Otter (Enhydra lutrls) is found on the shores of the Pacific Ocean from Southern California north to Alaska and the Aleutians, west to Kamchatka and the northern Kurile Islands. The animal is about four feet long, one foot of which is the tail. The fur is brownish black, many of the guard hairs being tipped with white. The pelt of the sea otter is considered one of the most valuable of furs ; a single skin has been sold for as high as twenty-five hundred dollars. On this account, the animal was formerly so much hunted that it was threatened with extinction, but due to enforcement of strict laws protecting it, is again increasing in numbers.
Dogs, Wolves, Foxes. Family Canid^ The members of the dog family are generally medium-sized animals with long muzzles, non-retractile claws, long legs well adapted for running, strong canines, and molars of shearingcrushing type. Their pelage is usually long and thick. Their habits are terrestrial, and their sense of smell highly developed. True Wolves occur throughout the unsettled parts of the northern hemisphere. Wolves are ancestral to many of the breeds of domestic dogs.
The Northern Wolf (Canis lupus) occurs throughout northern and temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Various
SPECIES OF MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC AREA 85 forms are found in Japan, Sakhalin, the Kurile Islands, and the big Arctic wolf of the Alaskan Peninsula may stray to Unimak Island.
The Dingo or Warrigal {Cams dingo), the only wild carnivore found in Australia, is believed to have been brought there by ancestors of the Australian blacks. That the dingo inhabited the country as far back as late Pleistocene (Ice Ages) is proved by the presence of its fossil remains associated with bones of marsupials of that period. The dingo is about the size of a setter dog. Its color is generally tawny, darker on the head and back and lighter beneath. The feet and the tip of the tail are often white. Other color varieties such as black and white animals occur. Dingos have been domesticated and used by the natives in hunting. They cross so readily with other dogs that pure dingos are rare in settled districts. Wild dingos inhabit both open plains and forests. They hunt singly, in family parties, or occasionally in large packs. Their food consists of the smaller kinds of kangaroos and any other game that they can catch. They are much disliked by sheep herders because they kill sheep. Pure dingos do not bark but emit a series of yapping notes and mournful howls. From five to eight pups generally constitute a litter ; they are born in burrows, in crevices among rocks, or in hollow logs. The Asiatic Wild Dog (Cuon javanicus) is reddish, somewhat like an Irish terrier, and is about the size of a small collie. It generally hunts in packs, and may kill animals of considerable size. In Java and Sumatra deer appear to be most often hunted. In India wild dogs have been known to kill buffalo and even are reported to have driven tigers from their dead prey. The Asiatic wild dog ranges from Siberia south through eastern and central Asia to the Malay Peninsula and to the islands of Sumatra and Java.
The Raccoon Dog {Nyctereutes procyonoides), a small foxlike animal with short legs and tail, is colored much like the raccoon, even to the dark mask across the eyes. It is found
86 MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC WORLD from Amurland south throughout much of eastern China, and occurs in Japan.
The Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) has much the same range as the wolf. It is better able to withstand civilization, so that it occurs in many places where the wolf has been exterminated. The red fox needs no description, for wherever found it is much the same. Its coat may vary from reddish yellow to a darker reddish and some forms are more grayish. Its black ears and whitetipped tail invariably distinguish it throughout its northern range. In various localities color phases occur, such as the black, silver, and cross varieties. All of these show the white tail tip. Forms of the Old World red fox are found in Japan, Sakhalin, and the Kurile Islands.
The Arctic Fox (Alopex lagopus) is circumpolar in distribution. No other land mammals range farther north. Its summer coat is dark brownish slate with whitish underparts, in winter pure white. In certain sections the color of some individuals is bluish drab instead of white. This bluish drab color phase produces the blue fox of the fur industry. The Arctic fox is small ; its total length is about thirty inches, and the tail ten inches. It is found on the Aleutian and Kurile Islands. Civets and Mongooses. Family Vivereid^ The small carnivores composing this family vary in size from foxes to rats. They have long slender bodies, short legs, long pointed heads, and sharp, more or less retractile claws. Most of the civets have musk glands situated under the tail. The Malay Civet {Viverra tangalunga) is about the size of a domestic cat. Its head is long and fox-like. The general color of the fur is dark gray, frequently tinged with yellowish or brownish. The sides and lower surfaces of the neck are banded with distinct black stripes with white or pale interspaces. The bands on the remaining parts of the body are broken up, producing a spotted effect. A mane of long black hairs extends along the top of the back from the shoulders to the basal part
SPECIES OF MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC AREA 87 Fig. 36 — Malay Civet of the tail. The tail is ringed with black and white or gray, the dark rings connected by a black line along the greater part of the upperside. In some specimens the interspaced light rings are indistinct. The Malay civet, including the foot-long tail, is about three feet long. This small species occurs from the Malay peninsula and the Philippines to Ceram and the Moluccas. The Asiatic Civet {Viverra zibetha) is found from China south throughout southeastern Asia. The civet scent of commerce is obtained from the musk glands of these animals, which are believed in some cases to have been introduced on islands for the sake of the perfume. The civets are terrestrial, frequently making their homes in burrows. They are reputed to be poultry thieves.
The Little Civet {Viverricula malaccensis) is about the same size as the Malay civet. Its name is thus misleading in the East Indies, though true in India and Burma. The length of head and body is about twenty-two inches, of the tail fourteen inches. It appears to be a shorter-legged, longer-bodied, longertailed, more weasel-like animal thafl the Malay civet. The color is gray, with brown markings. It lacks the dorsal mane of the Malay civet. Five brown stripes generally extend along the back from behind the shoulders to the base of the tail. Black stripes extend on the throat and along the sides of the body, and along
88 MAMMALS OF THE PACIFIC WORLD ^mmm \::^ Fig. ^1— Little Civet the sides of the neck are several series of brown spots. The tail, ringed with white, generally has a white tip. The animal is reported to be a good climber. On the continent the range of the little civet is very similar to that of the Asiatic civet, but on the islands it is found only on Sumatra, Java, Kangean Islands, Bali, and Formosa.
The Linsang {Prionodon linsang) is characterized by its very long, slender body, its short limbs, elongated neck and head, and the long tail which equals or surpasses the head and body in length. The ground color, although variable, is generally buffy white. The crown and muzzle are brownish and the forehead brownish buff. Five broad transverse bands of