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English names

It's not too difficult to guess why the stink badgers are so called! Both species are capable of squirting secretions from their anal glands and do so for defence when threatened. The secretion of the Indonesian species is the more noxious, apparently capable of asphyxiating dogs, or even blinding them if they are hit in the eyes [b001, b003-01]. The smell of the Palawan species' secretion meanwhile has been described as "pungent but not offensive" [b001].

The Indonesian stink badger

This species is also known as the Sunda stink badger [w005-04], the Java stink badger and the Malayan stink badger.

The Palawan stink badger

Named for its occurrence on the island of Palawan in the Philippines, this species also occurs on the nearby island of Busuanga. Both islands are part of the Calamian Group. Thus this badger is also known as the Philippine or Philippines stink badger [w015, b004] and the Calamian stink badger [b001].

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Latin names

The Latin name for this genus of badgers, Mydaus, is said to be a reference to the unpleasant smell of the stink badgers, being derived from the Greek word mudao ("I am damp"), which in turn is derived from the Greek word for damp or decay, mudos [b005].

The Indonesian stink badger

The Latin name javanensis means that the animal comes from Java (the suffix ensis being Latin for "belonging to").

The Palawan stink badger

The Latin name marchei probably refers to the French naturalist Alfred Marche, who was on the island of Palawan from 1879 to 1883 (or possibly 1885). Marche may have collected the original specimen from which the species was first described in 1887 by Huet. Also, this species is separated by some into its own genus, Suillotaxus (giving a full scientific name of Suillotaxus marchei) [b001, b003-01, b004]. Suillo is probably derived from the Latin suillus, a pig, and taxus is the New Latin for badger.

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Names in other languages

The following, as far as I can tell, mean "stink badger" rather than referring to either of the two species specifically:

• Finnish: haisumäyrä [w023].
• Norwegian: Stinkgraevling [w092].
• Swedish: stinkgrävling [w096].

The Indonesian stink badger

• Bahasa Indonesian: sigung [w015].
• Czech: jezevec smrdutý [w022, w086, w123].
• Esperanto: Malaja porko-melo; teleduo [w026].
• French: le teledu de Java [w098].
• German: Malaiischer Stinkdachs; Java-Stinkdachs [w015, w027].
• Malayan: teledu [b005].
• Spanish: tejón apestoso de Java [w082], Tejón Malayo [w107].

The Palawan stink badger

• Czech: jezevec krátkoocasý [w022, w086, w123].
• German: Phillipinen-Stinkdachs [w027].
• Spanish: tejón apestoso de Palawan [w082], tejón filipino [w107].

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Picture credits

The Palawan stink badger photo used at the head of this Article is © Peter Widmann, and used with his permission. 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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