Colombian weasel | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Family: | Mustelidae |
Genus: | Neogale |
Species: | N. felipei
|
Binomial name | |
Neogale felipei (Izor and de la Torre, 1978)
| |
Colombian weasel range | |
Synonyms | |
Mustela felipei |
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 the departments of Huila and Cauca in Colombia[2] and nearby northern Ecuador (where it is only known from a single specimen).[1] Both its scientific and alternative common name honours the mammalogist Philip "Don Felipe" Hershkovitz.[3]
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 of Colombia and Ecuador, and with less than 10 known specimens,[1] it is probably the rarest carnivoran in South America.[4] 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).[5] The upperparts and tail are blackish-brown, while the underparts are orange-buff.[4]
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.[6][7]