Formosan ferret-badger

It was formerly thought to be conspecific with the Chinese ferret-badger (M. moschata), but a 2019 genetic study found it to represent a distinct species, and the American Society of Mammalogists later reclassified it as a distinct species.{{Cite journal|last1=Rozhnov|first1=V. V.|last2=Korablev|first2=M. P.|last3=Abramov|first3=A. V.|date=2019-03-01|title=Systematics and Distribution of Ferret Badgers Melogale (Mammalia, Mustelidae) in Vietnam: First Genetic Data|url=https://doi.org/10.1134/S001249661902008X|journal=Doklady Biological Sciences|language=en|volume=485|issue=1|pages=47–51|doi=10.1134/S001249661902008X|pmid=31197594|s2cid=189763275|issn=1608-3105}} However, many authorities like the IUCN Red List still consider it conspecific with M. moschata.{{Cite iucn|author=Duckworth, J.W.|author2= Abramov, A.V.|author3= Willcox, D.H.A.|author4= Timmins, R.J.|author5= Choudhury, A.|author6= Roberton, S.|author7= Long, B. |author8= Lau, M. |name-list-style=amp |year= 2016 |title= Melogale moschata |page= e.T41626A45209676|doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41626A45209676.en}}

The species is endemic to the island of Taiwan.{{Cite mdd|title=Melogale subaurantiaca (Swinhoe, 1862)|id=1005831|access-date=2021-06-26}}

Male Formosan ferret-badgers produce sperm between the months of February and September, and mate with females between March and October. The species is thought to have a litter size of two, and breeds once a year.{{Cite journal|last1=Pei|first1=K.|last2=Wang|first2=Y.|date=1995|title=Some Observations on the Reproduction of the Taiwan Ferret Badger (Melogale moschata subaurantiaca) in Southern Taiwan|journal=Zoological Studies |s2cid=67805605|language=en}}

A 2015 study analyzing specimens of M. subaurantiaca collected between 2010 and 2013 found evidence of rabies in just under half of the sampled individuals, indicating that a rabies epidemic hit the species at some point prior to the study.{{Cite journal|last1=Chang|first1=Jen-Chieh|last2=Tsai|first2=Kuo-Jung|last3=Hsu|first3=Wei-Cheng|last4=Tu|first4=Yang-Chang|last5=Chuang|first5=Wei-Chieh|last6=Chang|first6=Chia-Yi|last7=Chang|first7=Shih-Wei|last8=Lin|first8=Te-En|last9=Fang|first9=Kuo-Yun|last10=Chang|first10=Yung-Fu|last11=Tsai|first11=Hsiang-Jung|date=October 2015|title=Rabies Virus Infection in Ferret Badgers (Melogale moschata subaurantiaca) in Taiwan: A Retrospective Study|journal=Journal of Wildlife Diseases|volume=51|issue=4|pages=923–928|doi=10.7589/2015-04-090|pmid=26267459|s2cid=33882859|issn=0090-3558|doi-access=free}} This was the first time rabies had been detected on Taiwan since it was declared rabies-free in 1961. The species is now thought to be a reservoir species for the rabies virus on Taiwan, and as of 2019, it has become an epidemic in eastern Taiwan; however, epidemics in western and southern Taiwan had subsided by then. Aside from the threats posed to the species, there have been reports of spillover from the ferret-badgers to pets and humans. Vaccination will be necessary to serve as a barrier to the disease and prevent further spillover.{{Cite journal|last1=Tu|first1=Wen-Jane|last2=Wang|first2=Mei-Chuan|last3=Jau|first3=Guo-Chin|last4=Tsai|first4=Cheng-Ta|last5=Lin|first5=Chung-Ching|last6=Inoue|first6=Satoshi|last7=Butudom|first7=Prawit|last8=Lai|first8=Cheng-Hung|last9=Fei|first9=Chang-Young|date=2020-12-03|title=A study of the temporal dynamics and human exposure to the Formosan ferret-badger (Melogale moschata subaurantiaca) rabies, 2013 to 2019, Taiwan|url=https://he01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/tjvm/article/view/246323|journal=The Thai Journal of Veterinary Medicine|language=en-US|volume=50|issue=4|pages=543–548|issn=0125-6491}}

• List of endemic species of Taiwan

{{Reflist}}

{{Carnivora|M.}}

{{Taxonbar|from1=Q20907789|from2=Q107473188}}

Category:Melogale

Category:Mammals of Taiwan

Category:Endemic fauna of Taiwan

Category:Taxa named by Robert Swinhoe

Category:Mammals described in 1862

Category:Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN