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Greater grison - GALICTIS VITTATA
Possibly Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Grison": "Grison" comes from the French word "gris," which means "gray."
Location: Central and South America.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Woodlands and grasslands, also found near inhabited buildings, at an altitude up to about 4000 feet.
Description: The coat consists of long, soft hairs. A white stripe runs from the forehead over the ears as far as the shoulders, and separates the black face, throat, and chest from the grizzled gray back. The general appearance is ferretlike with a long body and short legs, but the color pattern is distinct. The head and body are about 20 inches long, with a tail of about six inches. The weight is three to seven pounds.
Behavior: The grison hunts both night and day, and is often seen in small groups. They live in crevices in rocky areas and beneath tree roots. They feed on chinchillas, viscachas, and other rodents, which they kill with a swift bite on the back of the neck. They can cause damage to domestic animals, but are also used to combat rodent infestations or to hunt chinchillas, just like ferrets are used in Europe to hunt rabbits.
Reproduction: The female gives birth in October to two to four young.
Go to the Carnivore Page to learn more about all the meat-eating animals.
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