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Diet

The ferret badgers are largely carnivorous, but it seems that they will eat plant matter on occasion. The following food types feature on the ferret badgers' menu:

• Small mammals, including young rats
• Carrion
• Small birds and birds' eggs
• Lizards
• Frogs and toads
• Insects, including cockroaches and grasshoppers
• Other invertebrates, including snails and earthworms
• Plant food, including fruits

The Chinese ferret badger

In 1993-94, a study of the diet of the ferret badger Melogale moschata was made in Taiwan by S-A. Chuang and L-L. Lee of the Department of Zoology, National Taiwan University, Taipei. 64 ferret badger droppings were analysed, and the food remains found within them showed that worms, insects and amphibians were the most important food items. Plant remains were also found. The "Relative Importance" (RI) of the three main food types was calculated from the remains found in the droppings. The RI of invertebrates was 89.5%, the RI of vertebrates was 8.4%, and the RI of plant foods was 1.9%. There was no evidence that any mammals, birds or reptiles had been eaten, although they were available and were eaten by other small carnivores in the same area.

Earlier, in 1991, an Indian specimen of the Chinese ferret badger was kept in captivity and offered a wide variety of foods. The animal ate frogs, toads, lizards, chopped meat, and was particularly fond of earthworms. Birds eggs were also consumed, but only if they were broken - the badger was unable to open the shells itself. Strangely, for a badger, the captive declined to eat honey. It also refused all types of plant foods offered, including sugar cane, fruits, tubers and grams. If vegetable food was all that was on the menu, the badger simply did not eat.

The Burmese ferret badger

The massive teeth of the Burmese ferret badger (Melogale personata) are believed to be an adaptation for crushing snails and hard-shelled insects. This species is also reported to eat cockroaches, grasshoppers, and earthworms.

In Sikkim (in that part of north-east India which lies between Nepal and Bhutan) the Lepcha and Bhotia peoples are said to welcome this badger into their homes, where it eats cockroaches and other insects.

Javan ferret badger

Little is known about the diet of this species, but it is likely to be similar to that of the other ferret badgers.

Everett's ferret badger

Everett's ferret badger (Melogale everetti) is reported to feed on earthworms, lizards, small birds and rats. Evidently fruits are taken too, as local people apparently trap these badgers with snares baited with banana.

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Feeding behaviour

The ferret badgers are thought to forage mostly on the ground, where they dig up earthworms with their long claws and take insects from the ground surface. These animals are also good climbers however and spend some time in the trees, where they probably hunt for insects and snails.

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References

b001, b003-01, b004, b007, b008, b033, c012, b128, b137.

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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