Colombian weasel
The Colombian weasel (Neogale felipei), also known as Don Felipe's weasel, is a very rare species of New World weasel only known with certainty from parts of Colombia and Ecuador. As of 2023, it has been recorded 11 times in the Colombian departments of Huila and Cauca, and once in nearby northern Ecuador. Both its scientific and alternative common name honour Philip "Don Felipe" Hershkovitz, an American mammalogist. It appears to be largely restricted to riparian habitats at an altitude of 1,100 to 2,700 m (3,600 to 8,900 ft). There is extensive deforestation within its limited distribution within the northern Andes Mountains of Colombia and Ecuador, and with less than 12 known specimens, it is probably the rarest carnivoran in South America. It is considered vulnerable by the IUCN. It is the second-smallest living carnivoran on average, being only slightly larger than the least weasel (Mustela nivalis) and slightly smaller than the stoat or ermine (M. erminea). The upperparts and tail are blackish-brown, while the underparts are orange-buff. 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 in 2018, where it gained widespread attention.
| Colombian weasel | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Mustelidae |
| Genus: | Neogale |
| Subgenus: | Grammogale |
| Species: | N. felipei
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| Binomial name | |
| Neogale felipei (Izor and de la Torre, 1978)
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| Colombian weasel range | |
| Synonyms | |
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The Colombian weasel (Neogale felipei), also known as Don Felipe's weasel, is a very rare species of New World weasel only known with certainty from parts of Colombia and Ecuador. As of 2023[update], it has been recorded 11 times in the Colombian departments of Huila and Cauca,[2][3] and once in nearby northern Ecuador.[1][3] Both its scientific and alternative common name honour Philip "Don Felipe" Hershkovitz, an American mammalogist.[4]
It appears to be largely restricted to riparian habitats at an altitude of 1,100 to 2,700 m (3,600 to 8,900 ft). There is extensive deforestation within its limited distribution within the northern Andes Mountains of Colombia and Ecuador, and with less than 12 known specimens,[1] it is probably the rarest carnivoran in South America.[5] It is considered vulnerable by the IUCN.[1]
It is the second-smallest living carnivoran on average, being only slightly larger than the least weasel (Mustela nivalis) and slightly smaller than the stoat or ermine (M. erminea).[6] The upperparts and tail are blackish-brown, while the underparts are orange-buff.[5]
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 in 2018, where it gained widespread attention.[7][8]
Taxonomy
[edit]Originally described in the genus Mustela, a 2021 study reclassified into the genus Neogale along with two other former Mustela species, as well as the two species formerly classified in Neovison.[9]
Description
[edit]N. felipei has an elongated body with an average length of 22 cm (8.7 in), and a tail 11.5 cm (4.5 in) long. Weight ranges between 120 and 150 g (4.2 and 5.3 oz). 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 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.[10]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]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 1,100 to 2,700 m (3,600 to 8,900 ft) it is classified as being in a "cloud forest" consisting of 100% humidity adding to the riparian habitat.
Diet
[edit]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
[edit]Neogale felipei has been recognized by the IUCN as being vulnerable and having a decreasing population. However, due to rarity of sightings and deforestation of known habitat, the true size of the population remains unclear.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e González-Maya, J.F.; Emmons, L.; Helgen, K.; Arias-Alzate, AAA. (2016). "Mustela felipei". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T14026A45201088. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T14026A45201088.en. Retrieved 14 March 2022. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is vulnerable
- ^ Eisenberg, John Frederick; Redford, Kent Hubbard (1999). Mammals of the Neotropics: The Central Neotropics: Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil. Vol. 3. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 624. ISBN 978-0-226-19542-1.
- ^ a b Ramírez-Chaves, Héctor E.; Cardona Giraldo, Alexandra; Henao-Osorio, Jose J.; Bueno-Cano, Lida; Marín Rojas, Andrés Felipe; Tamayo-Zuluaga, Andrés F.; Ospina-Pérez, Erika M.; Pisso-Flórez, Gustavo Adolfo; Echeverry-Pérez, Juan S.; Rivera-Páez, Fredy A. (2024-09-01). "Distribution, morphology, and natural history observations of the Colombian weasel, Neogale felipei". Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment. 59 (3): 1310–1321. doi:10.1080/01650521.2024.2375931. ISSN 0165-0521.
- ^ Izor, R. J.; L. de la Torre (1978). "A New Species of Weasel (Mustela) from the Highlands of Colombia, with Comments on the Evolution and Distribution of South American Weasels". Journal of Mammalogy. 59 (1): 92–102. doi:10.2307/1379878. JSTOR 1379878.
- ^ a b Novak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. ISBN 0-8018-5789-9
- ^ Carnivores of the World by Dr. Luke Hunter. Princeton University Press (2011), ISBN 9780691152288
- ^ Mandelbaum, Ryan F. (30 April 2019). "Man Takes First-Ever Photo of Living Colombian Weasel After Finding It Standing on His Toilet". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
- ^ de Roux, Juan M.; Noguera-Urbano, Elkin A.; Ramírez-Chaves, Héctor E. (2019-05-30). "The Vulnerable Colombian weasel Mustela felipei (Carnivora): new record from Colombia and a review of its distribution in protected areas". Therya. 10 (2). Asociación Mexicana de Mastozoología: 207–210. doi:10.12933/therya-19-776. ISSN 2007-3364. S2CID 202192381 – via ResearchGate.
- ^ Patterson, Bruce D.; Ramírez-Chaves, Héctor E.; Vilela, Júlio F.; Soares, André E. R.; Grewe, Felix (2021). "On the nomenclature of the American clade of weasels (Carnivora: Mustelidae)". Journal of Animal Diversity. 3 (2): 1–8. doi:10.52547/JAD.2021.3.2.1. ISSN 2676-685X. S2CID 236299740.
- ^ Ramírez-Chaves, Héctor E.; Bruce D. Patterson (2014). "Mustela felipei (Carnivora: Mustelidae)" (PDF). Mammalian Species. 46 (906): 11–15. doi:10.1644/906. S2CID 86155713.
Bibliography
[edit]- Izor, R. J. and N. E. Peterson. 1985. Notes on South American weasels. Journal of Mammalogy 66: 788–790. doi:10.2307/1380810
- 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. doi:10.1111/j.1472-4642.2008.00508.x
