A grison (, ) is any mustelid in the genus Galictis. Native to Central and South America, the genus contains two extant species: the greater grison (Galictis vittata), which is found widely in South America, through Central America to southern Mexico; and the lesser grison (Galictis cuja), which is restricted to the southern half of South America.

Names

The generic name Galictis joins two Greek words: (, "weasel") and (, marten/weasel). Compare the word Galidictis (a mongoose genus).

The common name is from a French word for "gray", a variant of , also meaning "gray".

Locally, in Spanish, it is referred to as a (literally "little ferret") or . In Portuguese, it is a .

Description

Grisons measure up to in length, and weigh between . The lesser grison is slightly smaller than the greater grison. Grisons generally resemble a honey badger, but with a smaller, thinner body. The pelage along the back is a frosted gray with black legs, throat, face, and belly. A sharp white stripe extends from the forehead to the back of the neck.

Habitat

They are found in a wide range of habitats from semi-open shrub and woodland to low-elevation forests. They are generally terrestrial, burrowing and nesting in holes in fallen trees or rock crevices, often living underground. They are omnivorous, consuming fruit and small animals (including mammals). Little is known about grison behaviour for multiple reasons, one of which is that their necks are so wide compared to their heads. This has made radio tracking problematic.

Evolution

Extant species

Fossils

Grisons first appeared in South America during the early Pleistocene about 2.5million years ago. They may be descended from the fossil genera Trigonictis and Sminthosinus, which lived in North America during the mid to late Pliocene. There are at least three known fossil species, all of which were found in Argentina:

• † Galictis hennigi

• † Galictis sanandresensis

• † Galictis sorgentinii

References

• Nowak, Ronald M. (2005). Walker's Carnivores of the World. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press