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Mephitidae

Family of mammals

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Montage on species of the family Mephitidae: Molina's hog-nosed skunk ( Conepatus chinga ), striped skunk ( Mephitis mephitis ), Sunda stink badger ( Mydaus javanensis ) and western spotted skunk ( Sp
Inao Tomfriedel U.Name.Me Bkentosh · CC BY-SA 4.0

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There are sixteen extant species of mephitids in four genera: Conepatus (hog-nosed skunks, four species); Mephitis (the hooded and striped skunks, two species); Mydaus (stink badgers, two species); and Spilogale (spotted skunks, eight species). The two stink badgers in the genus Mydaus inhabit Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines; the other members of the family inhabit the Americas, ranging from Canada to central South America. All other mephitids are extinct, known through fossils, including those from Eurasia.

In taxonomic order, the living species of Mephitidae are:

Genera

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Monotypic taxonTaxonomic group with only one subordinate taxonSpecies descriptionFormal description of a discovered speciesParaphylyType of taxonomic groupIUCN Red ListInventory of the global conservation status of biological speciesSubtropicsGeographic and climate zoneCommon nameName generally used for a taxon, group of taxa or organism(s)