Ferrets. Weasels. Stoats. And mink.
Polecats, martens, et autres.
One of which is the negripedal mustelid.
Or, as you may know it, the black-footed ferret.
A small wriggly carnivore which decimates prairie dog colonies, with an appetite both ferocious and life-affirming. If wholesale slaughter of prairie dogs can be considered life-affirming, which I maintain it indeed can.
Very much.
Although perhaps less so for prairie dogs.
Form my favourite unprinted knowledge source, Wikipedia:
黑足鼬（學名：Mustela nigripes），是一種原產於北美洲的小型食肉性哺乳動物和唯一原產於北美地區的雪貂，亦是俄國草原臭鼬的近親。鼬科。同科物種有：黃鼬（黃鼠狼）、水貂、臭貂、貂屬和獾亞科。牠與被馴化的白鼬或矇眼貂外型非常相似，常被別人混淆。
黑足鼬是北美著名的瀕危物種。
1937年，加拿大野生黑足鼬滅絕。 1967年在美國被列為瀕危物種。
2008年美國網站《生活科學》評出黑足鼬為全球十大最瀕危的稀有動物物種之一。
[Translation: "The Black-footed Ferret (scientific name: Mustela nigripes), is a small carnivorous mammal and the only one native to North America, originating in North America; itis also a close relative of the Russian steppe skunk. Mustelidae. Included among related species: the weasel ("yellow stoat")), water weasel, stinky mustelid, marten and badger, all of which are a subfamily. Domesticated ferret or mink look very similar to the casual observer, and it is often confused with other types. The Black-footed ferret is notable endangered species in North America. By 1937, the wild black-footed ferret was considered extinct in Canada. In 1967 it was listed as endangered species in the United States. In 2008, the American website "Life Science" named the negriped mustelid one of the rarest animal species on world's top ten most endangered list."]
Pictures of the beast show an intelligent likable face, with inquisitive eyes. Not something that would inspire terror (unless you are a prairie dog), and the creature has the characteristic slinky body of all its kind.
WEASEL WAR DANCE
[Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jumping_black_footed_ferret.jpg.]
Not kidding. It really is called a "weasel war dance".
From Wikipedia again: "The weasel war dance is a colloquial term for a behavior of excited ferrets and weasels. In wild animals, it is speculated that this dance is used to confuse or disorient prey. In domestic animals, the war dance usually follows play or the successful capture of a toy or a stolen object and is commonly held to mean that the ferret is thoroughly enjoying itself. It consists of a frenzied series of sideways and backwards hops, often accompanied by an arched back, and a frizzy tail. Ferrets are notoriously clumsy in their surroundings during their dance and will often bump into or fall over objects and furniture. Most often, the act includes a clucking vocalization, commonly known as "dooking". It normally indicates happiness. Although the weasel war dance may make a ferret appear frightened or angry, they are often just excited and are usually harmless to humans. The stoat (also known as the Ermine or the Short-tailed weasel) often employs a "war dance" to transfix and attack rabbits."
Successful capture of a toy or stolen object = happiness.
I can imagine myself doing precisely such a thing. It would probably knock over the bowl of noodle soup, spilling hot broth all over the table and dripping down the bedsheet I flung over as a cloth, and frighten the bejazus out of any visiting mice, but man, it would express happiness.
Then, like a typical white person, I would clumsily grasp my chopsticks and attempt to assault what remained of the food.
Mmmmm, juicy porky bits and shredded pickled turnips!
Oh wait. That's a mouse that fainted. Gone all limp.
He's a guest. Shouldn't eat the little fellow.
Oh heck. Chomp.
Are there any more?
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1 comment:
NEVER eat a guest! Ergo, the meeting place should be somewhere neutral. A charity gala with a no-host bar sounds perfect.
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