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English names

Presumably, these badgers take their name from their elongated, ferret-like form - they look much more like their weasel-like ancestors than do the other badgers. Alternatively, perhaps the black and white facial pattern (a little like that of the polecat, from which the ferret is derived) inspired their name. The third theory that I will put forward is that the ferret badgers were named because of their smell - like ferrets, and indeed other badgers, they produce unpleasant secretions from their anal glands.

Ferret badgers are sometimes referred to as tree badgers [w042].

The Chinese ferret badger

This species is also known as the small-toothed ferret badger [b001] and the China ferret badger. The Taiwanese subspecies is often referred to as the Formosan ferret badger.

The Burmese ferret badger

Also known as the large-toothed ferret badger [b001] and the Burma ferret badger. The Javan subspecies, M. p. orientalis, which some believe to be a separate species M. orientalis [b003-01], is also known as the Java or Javan ferret badger [w015, b004]. In those parts of Indonesia where this species occurs, the vernacular name is biul [w260-09].

Javan ferret badger

This species takes its name from the Indonesian island where it occurs.

Everett's ferret badger

This species was almost certainly named after (and possibly collected by) Victorian naturalist Alfred Hart Everett (1848-98), who collected mammals, birds and reptiles in Borneo and also published reports on the island's caves and volcanic phenomena. Several species of birds which share this ferret badger's island home have also been named after Everett. This species is also known as the Kinabalu ferret badger, as it is known only from Mount Kinabalu on Borneo.

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Latin names

The Latin name for this genus, Melogale, is derived from the Latin word for badger, meles, and the Greek word for marten or polecat, gale [b005], hence the "polecat badger".

The Chinese ferret badger

The specific name moschata comes from the New Latin moschatus ('musky'), which is itself derived from the Greek moskhos ('musk'), and is a reference to the animal's smell [b005].

Burmese ferret badger

I have no information on the derivation of the scientific name personata.

Javan ferret badger

The word orientalis means 'from the Orient', the suffix alis being Latin for 'relating to' [b005].

Everett's ferret badger

The name everetti refers to the Victorian naturalist Everett (see above).

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Names in other languages

Ferret badgers are sometimes called pahmi [w042]. This is presumably a native name, but I do not know from which country this originates.

The following, as far as I can tell, mean "ferret badger" rather than referring to any individual species:

• Dutch: zonnendas [w136].
• Esperanto: suno-melo [w026].
• Finnish: aurinkomäyrä ("sun badger") [w112].
• French: petit blaireau ("little badger") [w088], blaireau-furet [w136].
• German: Sonnendachs ("sun badger") [w015, w027].
• Spanish: tejón-hurón [w082].

The Chinese ferret badger

• Chinese: , You-huan, mei-zi [w005-06].
• Czech: jezevec šedý [w022, w086].
• Finnish: kiinanaurinkomäyrä [w112].
• German: China-Sonnendachs [w015, w027].
• Spanish: tejón-hurón chino [w082], tejón chino [w107].

The Burmese ferret badger

• Chinese: Mian-dian-you-huan, mei-zi [w005-07].
• Czech: jezevec bělolící (Melogale personata); jezevec hnìdý (M. p. orientalis). [w022, w086].
• Finnish: intianaurinkomäyrä [w112].
• German: Burma-Sonnendachs [w027].
• Malay: Pulasan Lamri. The name pulasan seems to relate to mustelids generally; the Malay weasel for example is known as pulasan tanah. [b129].
• Spanish: tejón birmano [w107].
• Thai:

Javan ferret badger

• Czech: jezevec hnìdý. [w022, w086].
• Dutch: Javaanse zonnendas [w136].
• French: blaireau-furet de Java [w136].
• German: Java-Sonnendachs [w136].

Everett's ferret badger

• Spanish: tejón-hurón de Borneo; tejón-hurón de Everett [w082].

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Picture credits

The Burmese ferret badger photo used at the head of this Article is © Mr Sawai Wanghongsa, and used with the kind permission of the Royal Forest Department of Thailand. Credits for the photos used in the right-hand margin of this page for site navigation can be found on the Credits page.

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