Pantot, Tuldo
The Palawan stink badger (Mydaus marchei ), pantot or tuldo in the Batak language, is a carnivoran of the western Philippines named for its resemblance to badgers, its powerful smell, and the largest island to which it is native, Palawan. Like all stink badgers, the Palawan stink badger was once thought to share a more recent common ancestor with badgers than with skunks. Recent genetic evidence, however, has led to their re-classification as one of the Mephitidae, the skunk family of mammals.
Although smaller than true badgers, the Palawan stink badger is one of the larger members of the skunk family, the Mephitidae. Adults measure 32 to 46 cm (13 to 18 in) in length, about the same size as the striped skunk native to North America, and weigh anything from 0.85 to 2.5 kg (1.9 to 5.5 lb). In physical appearance, however, they more closely resemble badgers than skunks. They have a pointed snout with a mobile nose and a stocky body with short and powerful limbs bearing sharply recurved claws. The tail is very short in comparison to the body, measuring only 1.5 to 4.5 cm (0.59 to 1.77 in), and lacking the bushy fur of many skunks. The ears are almost invisible, with only vestigial pinnae, and the eyes are also relatively small.
The fur is dark brown to black over most of the body, fading to a more brownish color on the underparts. There are also scattered white hairs across the back and over the forehead, but not the white stripe and head-patch found on the closely related Sunda stink badger. Compared with its sister species, the Palawan stink badger is also slightly smaller, with larger teeth and longer fur. Females have six teats.
Palawan stink badgers live on the Philippine island of Palawan, and also on the neighboring islands of Busuanga and Calauit. They inhabit forests, grasslands, and cultivated areas on these islands, and use local shrubs for shelter.
Palawan stink badgers are solitary animals. They forage at night digging out invertebrates from the ground with their long claws. They are good diggers and may spend the day in excavated dens. They may travel up to 2 km (1.2 mi) in search of food, and mark their territory with scent. They are slow-moving, and not particularly aggressive, either freezing or emitting a warning snarl when threatened. Like skunks, Palawan stink badgers possess anal scent glands that emit a pungent yellowish liquid. They are able to spray the liquid up to a metre, and the scent is said to be strong enough to be smelled up to a mile away. The stink badgers rely almost entirely on this powerful odour for their defence and are among the few wild animals not eaten by the local farmers.
Palawan stink badgers have a carnivorous diet and feed mainly on freshwater crabs, worms, and small insects.
Little is known about the reproductive behavior of this species.
The main threats to Palawan stink badgers include habitat loss especially due to the ongoing development of plantations and roadkill.
According to IUCN Red List, the Palawan stink badger is locally common throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
