Ferret badgers (Melogale species): Distribution and habitat preferences

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Image: Burmese ferret badger (Melogale personata).

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Distribution and habitat preferences

Which parts of the world are the ferret badgers found in? Which habitats do they prefer? Find out on this Badger Page.

On this page: Distribution | Habitat preferences | Related Badger Pages

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Distribution

The four species of ferret badger all live in south-east Asia. See the distribution map below:

Image: Ferret badger distribution map.

Range of Chinese ferret badger, Melogale moschata

Range of Burmese ferret badger, Melogale personata

Range of Javan ferret badger, Melogale orientalis

Range of Everett's ferret badger, Melogale everetti

B=Bangladesh Bh.=Bhutan Cam.=Cambodia In.=India L.=Laos N.=Nepal Th.=Thailand

Map © Steve Jackson.

Chinese ferret badger

The Chinese ferret badger ranges from north-eastern India (and possibly the easternmost parts of Nepal), across most of southern China, and down into the northern parts of Myanmar (Burma), Laos and Vietnam.

Bhutan : I have found no reports of this species occurring in Bhutan, but it may occur there.
China : Confirmed from the provinces of Anhui (including the Mount Huangshan Scenic Beauty and Historic Interest Site in the south of the province), Fujian, Guangdong (including Hong Kong), Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Shanghai, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang. [ b130-03 , w126-01 , w126-02 , w128 ]
India : Confirmed from the states of Bengal, Assam (including Dhansiri Reserve Forest and Innerline Reserve Forest), Manipur, Nagaland (including the Naga Hills), and Arumachal Pradesh (including Namdapha National Park). [ b130-01 , b130-02 , b130-03 , w126-01 ]
Laos (or Lao People's Democratic Republic): I have found no records of any specific localities within Laos where the Chinese ferret badger has been found. Several sources confirm the occurrence of the species in this country, and it seems likely it occurs only in the northernmost part of Laos, given that it is absent from Thailand. [ b130-03 , w126-01 , w127-01 ]
Myanmar (formerly Burma): I have found no records of any specific places within Myanmar where this species occurs. Several sources confirm the occurrence of the Chinese ferret badger in Myanmar, and it seems likely that this species occurs across most of the northern half of the country. [ b130-03 , w126-01 , w128 ]
Nepal : I have found only one source that states that this species occurs in this country. If it does occur here, I suspect that it would only be found in the easternmost parts of the country. [ w128 ]
Taiwan : Widely distributed at mid to low elevations. [ c007 , b130-03 , w126-01 ]
Thailand : I have found no reports of this species occurring in Thailand. The southernmost extent of the Chinese ferret badger's range is probably just to the north of the northernmost part of Thailand.
Vietnam : Confirmed from Tonkin, and Thanh Hoa Province (including the proposed Xuan Lien Nature Reserve) in northern Vietnam. It seems likely that the distribution of this species is confined to the northern half of the former North Vietnam. [ b130-03 , w126-01 , w127-01 , w128 , b133 ]

Burmese ferret badger

The Burmese ferret badger occurs from Nepal and north-eastern India, across Myanmar, the southernmost provinces of China, and down through Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia.

Bhutan : I have found no reports of this species occurring in Bhutan, but it may occur there.
Cambodia : I have found no written references to the Burmese ferret badger occurring in Cambodia, but several distribution maps show the species occurring across the country, and it seems likely that these are correct.
China : Confirmed from Guangdong province (but not Hong Kong). It seems likely that this species is also present in the provinces of Guangxi and Yunnan. [ w128 ]
India : Confirmed from the states of Bengal, Assam (including Dhansiri Reserve Forest and Innerline Reserve Forest), Meghalaya, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh (including Pakhui Wild Life Sanctuary and the Dibang Valley, Seijusa and East Kameng districts). [ b130-02 , b130-04 , w127-01 , w126-03 , b130-05 ]
Laos (or Lao People's Democratic Republic): I have found no records of specific locations within Laos where this species has been found, but distribution maps indicate that the Burmese ferret badger is found throughout the country.[ w126-03 w130 ]
Myanmar (formerly Burma): Distribution maps indicate that the Burmese ferret badger is distributed throughout the country after which the species is named. One source indicates the presence of ferret badgers towards the southernmost part of the country, on the coast adjacent to the Mergui Archipelago. [ b130-04 , w126-03 , w147 ]
Nepal : I have found no records of specific locations where this species occurs in Nepal, but it seems likely that it is confined to the easternmost parts of the country. [ b130-04 , w126-03 ]
Thailand : There are many references to this species occurring in Thailand, although I have yet to find and records of specific places where it has been found. [ b130-04 , w126-03 , w134 , w135 ]
Vietnam : Confirmed from the provinces of Dong Nai (including Cat Tien National Park), about 150km north of Ho Chi Min City (Saigon); Kon Tum (including the Ngoc Linh Nature Reserve), adjacent to the south-eastern corner of Laos; Thua Thien Hue and Quang Tri (including the proposed Phong Dien and Dakrong Nature Reserves on the border of the two provinces), at the northern end of the former South Vietnam; and Ha Tinh (including Ke Go Nature Reserve), around 300km south of Hanoi. Distribution maps indicate that the species is found throughout the country. [ w126-03 , w132 , w133 , b132 , b134 , b136 ]

Javan ferret badger

This species lives on the Indonesian island of Java. [ w260-09 , w127-01 ]

Everett's ferret badger

This species has the most restricted range of all of the ferret badgers. It is known only from Mount Kinabalu which is located near the northern tip of Borneo, in Malaysia.

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Habitat preferences

Chinese ferret badger

This species lives mainly in forests and wooded hillsides, and also in more open, grassy places and some cultivated land. [ b001 , b003-01 ]

Burmese ferret badger

Like the Chinese ferret badger, this species lives in forests, wooded areas and grasslands. [ b001 , b003-01 ]

Everett's ferret badger

Everett's ferret badger lives in forest habitats from 900 to 3700 metres above sea level. [ c012 ]

Javan ferret badger

Information on this species is limited, but it is probable that, like the other ferret badgers, the Javan species occupies forests, wooded areas, and also more open habitats included cultivated land.

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Related Badger Pages

Find out about the distribution and habitat preferences of:

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Additional 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 (External) 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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