mustelid
1
8.6
- noun
- /ˈmʌstəlɪd/
- Specialized
:
mustélido
- The otter is a playful mustelid that loves to swim and catch fish.
- mustelid predator
- small mustelids
- predation on small mustelids
Now there are scents like musky scents and musty scents that are secreted by animals like skunks and other animals of the so-called mustelid family.
- Now there are scents like musky scents and musty scents that are secreted by animals like skunks and other animals of the so-called mustelid family.
Examples
-
Because antipredatory behaviors occurred on a large scale, their results provide additional evidence that small mustelid predators may drive crashes in short-term vole cycles.
Academic text (1996) -
In places where humans have introduced such predators as mustelids, rats, and cats, a similar scene would be impossible.
Academic text (1995) -
To our knowledge, no Mycoplasma species have been associated with clinical disease in ferrets or other mustelids.
Academic text (2012) -
The results of these two models are consistent with the hypothesis that vole cycles are driven by delayed density-dependent losses caused by mustelid predators.
Academic text (1996) -
Modern mustelids swim using various modes, and cetaceans probably went through these modes sequentially in their evolutionary history.
Academic text (2001) -
Accordingly, the presence of small mustelids (or their scent) may slow the reproductive rate of some species of voles.
Academic text (1996) -
While hiking in the forest, we spotted a mustelid darting through the underbrush.
-
Scientists classify animals such as weasels and badgers as mustelids due to their shared characteristics.
Synonyms
An animal like a weasel, otter, badger or mink that usually hunts small animals
A meat-eating mammal like a weasel or otter with a long slender body
Surface Forms
Morphology
mustelid = Mustelidae (opaque) = mustel + id
The term is built from a Latin combining form 'mustel-' and the taxonomic suffix '-id', but these elements are not productive or familiar to an average B1 learner, so the meaning is not derivable from common English vocabulary.
Etymology
Mustelid comes from the Latin word mustela, meaning 'weasel', and the ending -id which marks a family or group. So a mustelid is a member of the 'weasel' family, including animals like otters, badgers, and ferrets.