Speaking of politicians and lawyers…
No. That’s not fair to little Mydaus meliceps, the stink badger. (Nor is it fair to H. sapiens; many good people are drawn to law and politics for good reasons, and what happens after that is always our collective responsibility, burden, and — occasionally — joy.)
Despite the name, Dr. Wikipedia tells us, Asia’s stink badgers are more closely related to New World skunks than to badgers.
Because of our visit to Borneo yesterday, I’m concentrating today on the Sunda stink badger, found in Borneo as well as on the main Indonesian islands.
This one was nosing around under the deck of one of Borneo’s river resort lodges, according to the channel note.
The videographer reports that he followed it for a while but backed off when it growled at him, not wanting to experience the “stink” part of its name:
I wonder how many of Borneo’s cats have gotten sprayed — quite a few, probably!
Mydaus has a dramatic coat (for a good reason), but it seems quite meek and mundane, judging from the videos I found.
Here, for instance, is a three-reeler that focuses on a particularly itchy individual:
🦨🦨🦨
🦨🦨🦨
And this little fellow was recorded somewhere in Indonesia’s national park system.
More information:
- Nature’s odorous protectors
- The cutest little stinker
- Meanwhile, up in the Philippines…
For lagniappe:
And then there is Billie. Billie is a badger. Badgers are caniforms, and they are just one of several animal groups in Mustelidae. Mustelidae also begins with an “M”…
Featured image: A. Restu Dwikelana, CC BY NC 4.0
Flight To Wonder 