Mustelidae Temporal range: Early Miocene – Recent | |
---|---|
Long-tailed weasel | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Order: | Carnivora |
Superfamily: | Musteloidea |
Family: | Mustelidae G. Fischer de Waldheim, 1817 |
Type genus | |
Mustela Linnaeus, 1758 | |
Subfamilies | |
Lutrinae (otters) |
Mustelids are a family of carnivorous mammals. They are the family Mustelidae, in the order Carnivora.
They are the largest family of mammals. They are diverse, from weasels who eat mice to wolverines that can kill prey much larger than themselves. Mustelids live in many habitats: otters for example, live mostly in the water, while one species of weasel lives in the Arctic.