South American weasel


South American weasels are New World weasels endemic to South America. There are two extant species—the Amazon weasel and the Colombian weasel.

Taxonomy

The Amazon weasel was the first species of the two which was described, as it was described by Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest in 1818. Spanish naturalist Ángel Cabrera described Grammogale in 1940 as a monotypic subgenus, though this would change in 1978 when the Colombian weasel was first described. Grammogale was originally one of five subgenera in the genus Mustela. South American weasels were reclassified into the genus Neogale with their closest relatives in 2021.
South American weasels are the result of a second migration of Mustelinae into South America.

Characteristics

As with most New World weasels, South American weasels have an elongated, slender, body shape with small ears and legs. Typically, species of South American weasels have a dark brown fur colour, though some Amazon weasels may have a reddish brown colour.