Ranking The 5 Deadliest Mustelids From Least Deadly To Deadliest
Mustelids are an extremely diverse group of mammals and they are known for being immensely tenacious and feisty.
These animals can come in many different forms and they each play a different roles in their ecosystems and seem to have their own unique set of skills.
Some prefer to get their paws wet and hunt for aquatic creatures, Some are expert diggers and try to unearth their prey, and others are impressive land predators.
In today's video I will be going through some of the deadliest mustelids in the world and I will be ranking them from least deadly to deadliest.
Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0:47 Sea Otter
3:27 American Badger
5:41 Giant Otter
7:59 Honey Badger
10:20 Wolverine
Attributions
Mustelid family opening images:
Christoph Moning
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_...
CC BY 4.0
Wich'yanan Limparungpatthanakij
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
CC BY 4.0
Volker Röhl
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
CC BY-SA 3.0 DE
Colorado State University Libraries
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
CC BY-SA 4.0
Tony Hisgett
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
CC BY 2.0
Sea otter images:
Mike Baird
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
CC BY 2.0
National Marine Sanctuaries
www.flickr.com/photos/onms/
CC BY 2.0
MUSE - Science Museum of Trento in cooperation with Wikimedia Italia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_ott...
CC BY-SA 3.0
American badger images:
Marshal Hedin
www.flickr.com/photos/2366085...
CC BY-SA 2.0
USFWS Mountain-Prairie
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Public Domain
Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
CC BY-SA 2.0
Jon Nelson
www.flickr.com/photos/jondavi...
CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
susanhuntphotography.com
www.flickr.com/photos/susanre...
CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Yathin S Krishnappa
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America...
CC BY-SA 3.0
Joshua Tree National Park
www.flickr.com/photos/joshuat...
PDM 1.0
Eurasian badger images:
Christof Bobzin
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
CC BY 3.0
Giant otter images:
Paul Williams
www.flickr.com/photos/ironamm...
CC BY-NC 2.0
Bernard DUPONT
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
CC BY-SA 2.0
Thomas Fuhrmann
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
CC BY-SA 4.0
Mamíferos de Colombia
www.flickr.com/photos/1543308...
CC BY-NC 2.0
Honey badger images:
Steven Tan
www.flickr.com/photos/maethlin/
CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Derek Keats
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
CC BY 2.0
Wolverine images:
Susanne Nilsson
www.flickr.com/photos/infomas...
CC BY-SA 2.0
Carine06
www.flickr.com/photos/4355566...
CC BY-SA 2.0
zoofanatic
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
CC BY 2.0
Sea otter footage:
Ingrid Taylar Foto
vimeo.com/653456370
CC BY-NC-ND
Vancouver Coastal Sea wolf images:
A.Davey
www.flickr.com/photos/adavey/...
CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Sea otter prey images:
Ed Bierman
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Iri...
CC BY 2.0
Alexander Semenov
www.flickr.com/photos/a_semenov/
CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Giant octopus footage:
NOAA Sanctuaries
/ @sanctuaries
American badger and coyote images:
USFWS Mountain-Prairie
www.flickr.com/photos/usfwsmt...
CC BY 2.0
Coyote image:
Brad Lanam
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
CC BY 2.0
Giant otter audio and footage:
Natventure Expeditions
/ @natventurexpeditions
I have edited and adapted some of these clips and images.
Creative commons licences: creativecommons.org/share-you...
Thanks for watching I hope you enjoyed :)
Sources:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustelidae
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_otter
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_o...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey_b...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolverine
Пікірлер: 139
Video idea: Animals that governments hunted to extinction. Examples include the Tasmanian Tiger, Japanese wolf, Caspian Sea Tiger, Barbary Loin.
@Timsmith13911
12 күн бұрын
This list is a multi parter
@Zelaot
12 күн бұрын
balinese tiger and javanese tiger were both hunted to extinction by the dutch occuping Indonesia 😭😭😭
@TsukiCove
12 күн бұрын
yeah i did a similar video to this not too long ago and i found it very interesting. I'll see if i can do a part 2 in the future :)
@brianc9374
12 күн бұрын
bob gymlan has a greaat vid on the japanese wolf
@seanhewitt603
12 күн бұрын
Plains bison
Mustelids are some of my favorite animals.
Fun fact: Sea otters were recently spotted on the Oregon coast for the first time since the early 1900’s!
You are right on, except I would replace the Sea Otter with the "Fisher". It has the agility of a Marten, the speed to catch a squirrel in the trees, or, a rabbit on the ground or kill a porcupine while avoiding the quills.
Mustelids are definitely the most underrated Carnivora group in the mammal class.
I'm glad the giant river otter made this list. They're so often forgotten for the terrors they are.
Wolverines may not have the strongest bite force but they can chew through frozen meat and bone.
@seanhewitt603
12 күн бұрын
They eat every part except the hair and teeth.
@dunringill1747
11 күн бұрын
@@seanhewitt603 Wolverines eat hair and teeth too. They have earned their scientific name "Gulo gulo", which means “glutton” in Latin.. They have even eaten porcupine quills, which often lodge in their digestive track and have caused fatal infections.
@seanhewitt603
11 күн бұрын
@@dunringill1747 nope, they cannot break down the teeth or hair. The Only two body parts literally not worth swallowing, they aren't digestible, by anything living. That's why there are teeth of every kingdom in the fossil records.
@seanhewitt603
16 сағат бұрын
@@dunringill1747 they can't digest the hair or teeth.
@dunringill1747
15 сағат бұрын
@@seanhewitt603 Don't believe me, web search it for yourself. They are called "glutton" for good reason.
Pop goes the weasel. I knew when the started, Stoffel would make an appearance.
Sounds like we need to Introduce the American badgers back into the environment
Yellow throated marten could be honorable mention. Not the biggest but they are ferocious
@broccanmacronain457
12 күн бұрын
All of the small Mustelids are some of the most ferocious animals pound for pound.
@donysabtyo0403
12 күн бұрын
I heard that Yellow Throated Marten can take down Sambar fawn, kill adult Langur monkey, and would chalenge Indian Leopard is that true??
@An_Actual_Rat
12 күн бұрын
@@donysabtyo0403 Seen them do things like the first 2, but I wouldn't bet on them regularly challenging leopards. They don't live in India but I know amur leopards are willing to kill and eat them so any challenge would probably be in self-defence, as with honey badgers who also rely on intimidation in order to survive.
@donysabtyo0403
12 күн бұрын
@@An_Actual_Rat they lived in India too but mostly on northern parts (somewhere near Nepal)
@An_Actual_Rat
11 күн бұрын
@@donysabtyo0403 Ah I see, there's a tiny sliver of population there. My mistake!
Out of curiosity, haven't we discovered that there used to be giant Wolverines and other types of Prehistoric Mustalids? I could be wrong would make for a awesome topic to cover tho if there is substance there
@petrschejbal8756
11 күн бұрын
We don't talk about prehistoric mustalids...they are scary
I love Fisher's, Sables, Wolverines, common river Otters, honey badgers, pine Martin, Mink, Stoat, American badgers, etc. Etc.
Wolverine my beloved ❤️
@traviswillden
12 күн бұрын
I like wolverines too, in fact it's one of my favorite mustelids.
@ultimate_animal_showdown
10 күн бұрын
@@traviswillden it’s my favorite mustelid and one of my favorite animals in general
@traviswillden
10 күн бұрын
@@ultimate_animal_showdown cool
@mikehillas
10 күн бұрын
They punch above their weight.
Not to mention there's an urban legend about the wolverine that one managed to escape from a zoo enclosure and snuck into a polar bear exhibit where it managed to kill one of the polar bears by clamping down on it's throat and suffocating it wolverine's are not to be messed with
@TsukiCove
12 күн бұрын
Yeah i keep seeing this rumor, i wonder if there's any truth behind it?
@Martiancookiehunter365
12 күн бұрын
@@TsukiCove Honestly with how tough they are it wouldn't surprise me
@dunringill1747
12 күн бұрын
It's been a long time since I've read that report so I'm going to get some details wrong. This zoo was located somewhere in Europe. The incident was in 1926, or '27? It happened overnight. The next day - the wolverine was found uninjured in the bear enclosure along with the dead polar bear with a crushed windpipe. - There have been 5 other unsubstantiated reports of wolverines killing polar and grizzly bears. Those were in the wild. - In every case the cause of death was the same - bears with crushed windpipes. - I read those reports long ago - they are hard to find. If memory serves, the earliest report was from 1912(?), or 1916 (?). The last was sometime in the late 1950's. - Again, these reports are unsubstantiated and should be taken with a grain of salt. However, some of these reports have been made by professional field researchers & forest rangers - those must hold some merit. - What IS SUBSTANTIATED: On occasion, wolverines have initiated attacks and driven away bears (all the known NA species), wolves, mountain lions, lynxes, & bobcats from food and territory. Most of the time, wolverines avoid bears, mountain lions, & wolves because they can kill them. It is also substantiated that wolverines have killed lynxes & bobcats.
@TonyL2567
11 күн бұрын
@@TsukiCoveI looked into this “urban myth” and found no actual documentation on it, it was supposed to have happened at a zoo in Germany, but there are no newspaper reports or any eye witnesses.. I maybe wrong but I’m pretty sure it’s just a myth probably made up by fanboys
I live near North American river otters, the smaller version of the giant river otter. I often see them while fishing and they’re impressive hunters. I live on the Gulf Coast and they actually inhabit brackish/saltwater. They munch on crabs like candy. They make huffing sounds when they spot me. They also grunt and make bird like sounds.
I've never seen one in the wild but i live in the wolverines home range, they are legendary, good choice for #1
Mustelids, my fifth favorite animal family after Primates, Big Cats, Canids, and Ungulates
I think there’s a story that a wolverine once took down a polar bear
Very good video, excellent list. I would recommend a second list with the Tayra, Yellow Throated Marten, Fisher, Grison, Longtailed Weasel, and European Badger.
Before going down, a wolverine attacked by a wolf pack can inflict serious injuries even causing some of them to bleed to death or infection.
❤️💖 Love ❤️ this video 📹. 😃😀😄😁😊😉 👍🏻 💖❤️
12:16 I mean....... I suppose the Arnie could pull off being a wolverine
@TsukiCove
12 күн бұрын
he wouldn't know what it is but he'd want to chase it haha
Nice informative video Tsuki 🙂👍😲. Mustelids are so interesting😲.
@TsukiCove
12 күн бұрын
thank you i precipitate it :)
12:05 Yo, that straight up vault over the other Wolverine was one of the most athletic feat I've ever seen! 😂
Great video and I agree with this list.
Badgers are on my coat of arms.
Great Job
@TsukiCove
17 сағат бұрын
thanks i really appreciate the support :)
Wolverine is one little bastard I would not like to see. Ferocious!
Maby the fisher of North America they along with the yellow throated Martin of eurasian, are a true force to be recond with
Amazing video as always
@TsukiCove
12 күн бұрын
thanks for the support :)
Love the video
Video idea ranking the l10 of the largest animal migrations Species included Grey whale Atlantic salmon White bearded wildebeest Arctic tern Greater flamingo Humpback whale Cape buffalo Caribou Gelada
an enjoyable video!
Cool
I remember watching an episode of Marty Stouffer's Wild America as a kid and I remember a very brutal fight between an american badger and a wolverine.
Video ideas. Largest frogs
@TsukiCove
12 күн бұрын
i think i might've done that already? I'm starting to lose track of videos haha
@AnimalsVehiclesAndMore
12 күн бұрын
He already did that. Although, I would like to see a video about the 5 deadliest birds (or living Dinosaurs, if you want to get technical) in the world.
can’t talk about *deadly* mustelids and not talk about stoats, minks nor martens. I’d definitely have them above sea otters 😅
The American Mink [Neogale Vison] and the Domestic Ferret [Mustela Furo] deserve honorable mentions, even though they aren't particularly deadly or vicious in the wild they are easily domesticated and have been used for hundreds to thousands of years as pest exterminators for rats, mice and rabbits.
Giant Otter best team
I love the mutualism between American Badgers and Coyotes. They're pretty much the Bebop and Rocksteady of the American plains. And out of all my taxonomic orders, Carnivora is my favorite with Crocodilians being a close 2nd. Such amazing and powerful beasts garyeeblablablaaaaa
If it's a stocky legged mammal that constantly rides the line between tenacious and downright crazy it's probably a mustelid.
Video idea [evolution of canids ❤❤ love your videos long time fan
I once walked into a North American badger while walking home, and I didn't get anywhere close, but it was SO aggressive. I live in wolverine territory, so I wasn't expecting... that. It puffed up SO big and was SO loud. They don't fuck around. (been luckier with wolverines in terms of not getting aggression-close)
@dunringill1747
11 күн бұрын
We have decimated so many wolverines over the centuries that we have completely altered their behavior (especially around man). Wolverines living today are far more cautious and timid compared to wolverines even 70 years ago, much less 200 - 300 years ago.
@goodbyesheesha
11 күн бұрын
@@dunringill1747 It really depends on the area. I don't, personally, know much about wolverine behaviour in Europe. I live south of the arctic circle on the western coast of North America. And they're just wolverines.
@dunringill1747
10 күн бұрын
@@goodbyesheesha Humans have successfully altered the basic behaviors of many intelligent animals we clashed with. Both the NA and Eurasian wolverine subspecies have been hunted incessantly for their valuable pelts. Their more "bold behaviors" have been "weeded out of them" over time. They have known for a very long time it's better to avoid man. Also of significance is their need for vast areas of land to hunt on. This land often holds valuable raw resources for man as well. Money talks - which indirectly means we won't recognize any subspecies past the 2. If we recognized more subspecies, it would mean better laws of protection for wolverines and their hunting grounds. That would mean less raw resources and pelts for us.
Always nice to see Arnie at the end… if you added a few more seconds of him that would be nice 👍🏻
The Yellow throated marten could have got on the list perhaps,
I've never seen a wolverine or a honey badger, but I've seen river otters those little dudes are ferrous.
Wolverines are absolute tanks. Just search wolverine vs caribou. A single wolverine fucks up a caribou thats probably 8 times its size.
@prasetyodwikuncorojati2434
12 күн бұрын
Its a nice thing if that beast never reported attacking any human. But who knows if they ever since their habitat have very sparse human population, thus few folks can spreading the news
@dunringill1747
11 күн бұрын
@@prasetyodwikuncorojati2434 Humans have killed so many wolverines over the centuries, we have completely altered their behavior as a species. It's a scary thought but the wolverines that live today are much more timid and cautious compared to wolverine behavior even 70 years ago, much less 200 - 300 years ago.
Loved your vids, and also I really missed your old intro😢
Excellent video 😊
What we call sea otters around the coast of UK, are just the regular European otter (Lutra lutra), they are just choosing to live at the beach not in a stream
Very good clip
You forgot the Domestic Ferret, easily the deadliest animal to any pair of shoes, stuffed animals or cat toys. Also will steal almost anything they can get their teeth around and hide it from you for however long they feel like.
❤️💖 Hi Tsuki, I have an interesting idea 💡 for your potential next video, how about 3 African Animals That Would Destroy South America. I believed that the hippo 🦛, the Nile crocodile 🐊 and the honey badger 🦡 could destroy the ecosystem if they were accidentally reintroduce to Amazon/South America. Although maybe leopards 🐆 and chimpanzees 🐒 could be added too on the list. I don't know. 🌍🌎 What do you think? 😃😀😄😁😊😉 👍🏻 💖❤️
@arkprice79
12 күн бұрын
I like this idea
@TsukiCove
12 күн бұрын
ooooo I like this idea, I already have my next video idea but i'll use this idea for the one after. Thank you :)
@arkprice79
12 күн бұрын
@@TsukiCove great
I feel like the fisher should have been included in this list
Honey Badger are badass
They’re the feistiest group of carnivores. My fave probably. One day I will have some ferrets, and give them the most amazingly enriching lives. 😊 The title could just be "Deadliest family of carnivorans, period". 😂 Other than larger mustelids like giant otters and wolverines, badgers, martens, etc., so many of them embody that "Chihuahua" energy, a "big dog in a little dog’s body". Except mustelids actually go through with what they’re intending. A tiny stoat will kill a rabbit significantly larger than itself. Black-footed ferrets going after entire colonies of prairie dogs, which all have gnawing, iron-enameled bucktooth incisors. Dangerous being a mustelid! 🤣 Although lions and canids are fearsome by nature, and can take down larger prey, it’s typically done in groups, like with lions, painted dogs, wolves, dholes, etc. Same with hyenas. Other felines, for example, are stealthy solo hunters, but tend to pursue more appropriately-sized prey for them to handle. Yes, lynx do prey on roe deer, and even larger deer species’ calves, which is impressive, but even that still seems appropriate to their body size. It doesn’t quite compare to a yellow-throated marten boldly attacking a killing a rhesus macaque, or a honey badger taking on a cobra, irreverently. 🫤 Or sea otters, eating stinging and spiny sea urchins, or giant otters scaring everything in the Amazon (including people, jaguars, pumas, caiman, and ocelots, lol). It’s like they go for the most obscene or oversized prey possible, compared to their own body size, and are generally successful! I love mustelids!
I could agree with this list. If the wolverine and honey badger switch places, the wolverine would be more capable of killing Africa's top predators where as the honey badger has a better chance at surviving North America's predators. Wolverine is designed better for offense (bigger, stronger, and faster than the HB) while honey badger is more durable on defense (nearly bite and scratch proof skin).
Can you do a video on all nine leopard subspecies And a rank on most least to most deadly bovids Includes Wild yak Takin Wild water buffalo Gaur European bison American bison Cape buffalo Spanish bull
idea for another one top 5 deadliest rodents
There used to be a Giant Otter as big as a Lion in Africa during the Ice Age.
If weasels are the size of rottweilers they might be able to kill lions and black bears😅
@calibadgerdude6082
12 күн бұрын
lol yeah. If weasels or stoats were larger, they would be absolute menaces to the food chain in general. Those things are vicious and highly successful predators and they don’t know when to stop killing. They’ll kill things even when they’re not hungry or if the already have food available.
if an otter gets rabies would it also get hydrophobia? Or would it's evolutionary instincts/ high intellect overcome that symptom?
Harder to Catch, Easier to Dispatch.
Those type of mammals can be lazy, have SERIOUS boundaries
Should do 10 - 6 now
There must be a greater force in the Universe because if the Honey Badger grew to the size of a Leopard, we wouldn't exist
What is the wolverines weight?
@TsukiCove
12 күн бұрын
I think around 32KG is the maximum
Highest body count goes to the river otter, by far.
Never back down never what ?
Really the biggest enemy of the Wolverines are the Buckeyes 😂
The weasel family should be classed as super predators there's nothing that can take them on really pound for pound they are relentless in the persute after there prey and they will also take orther predators out of the game fishers have been known to kill bob cats and linxes the Fisher is a member of the weasel family the really are the kings of the animal world
Geez... wolverines can take down bison? Is this a single occurrence? Or has this happened repeatedly? Was it a "got an artery and it bled out over a few hours" situation? I just find it hard to believe a wolverine would take on a bison, much less kill it.
@dunringill1747
11 күн бұрын
Wolverines tend to go after the young, the old, and the weak (from sickness) when it comes to bison. It's the same with moose. With that said, there is an impressive record of a wolverine's largest kill (that we know of) being a moose. It was a 1,800 lbs. adult male moose. The autopsy report of the moose carcass showed no sign of illness.
So there’s no wolverines in the lower 48 didn’t know that
Ketchup or Mustelid on your hot dog?
Honey badger way overrated imo, it has durability but lacks in damage. Id take fighting one of those over a river otter
@calibadgerdude6082
12 күн бұрын
Yeah. Their power comes from their sheer stubborn aggressiveness. It doesn’t matter to them if they can’t reasonable kill something that attacks them, they’re going to fight irregardless of their chances. Most larger predators can easily kill one, but not without taking substantial damage in the process. Preds are not going to press an attack on something that stands a good chance of hurting them, especially when they’re not large enough to provide a substantial meal. The risk:reward just isn’t in the favor of other predators.
@dunringill1747
11 күн бұрын
There is this silly fantasy that people believe a honey badger would take down a wolverine. That is like saying a coyote takes down a wolf. Like all other mustelids, honey badgers are impressive way beyond their own weight class, but they are still animals. Fantasy is fun, but it should never replace fact.
No bear or wolves kill healthy wolverines, never documented
Sea Otters ****** Baby Seals.
Sea otters aren’t mustelids.
What happened to your older videos? Where you break down species by country.
I watched a least weasel in the uk kill a rabbit which was probably 4 times it size