Japanese badger | |
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At Inokashira Park Zoo, Tokyo | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Family: | Mustelidae |
Genus: | Meles |
Species: | M. anakuma
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Binomial name | |
Meles anakuma Temminck, 1844
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Japanese badger range |
The Japanese badger (Meles anakuma) is a species of carnivoran of the family Mustelidae, the weasels and their kin. Endemic to Japan, it is found on Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku,[2] and Shōdoshima.[1] It shares the genus Meles with its close relatives, the European (M. meles) and Asian (M. leucurus) badgers. In Japan, it is called by the name anaguma (穴熊) meaning "hole-bear", or mujina (むじな, 狢).