Although the Stripe-backed Weasel (Mustela strigidorsa) is listed as Endangered on the China Species Red List, we know very little about this small carnivore’s status across the country apart from a few historic records from Guangxi, Yunnan and Guizhou.

But there have been breakthroughs in recent years.

The Kadoorie Conservation China (KCC) team recently published two new sightings made by birders in Tongbiguan (Dehong Prefecture) and Mengla County (Xishuangbanna Prefecture) in Yunnan in the scientific journal Small Carnivore Conservation. And back in 2014, the KCC team spotted an individual during a bird survey in Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve in Yunnan.

In view of the species’s tolerance of heavily degraded landscapes and human disturbance, the Stripe-backed Weasel might not be as rare as we thought in China after all. Thus, its national conservation status warrants a reassessment.

Animal Profile

Range: India, Myanmar, China, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Thailand and Cambodia

Conservation Status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List)

Habitat: Evergreen forests in mountains, but has been recorded from dense scrub, secondary forest, grassland and farmland

Reference

Chan, B. P. L., Li, F., Ban, D. Y. (2020) Two sighting records of Stripe-backed Weasel Mustela strigidorsa in Yunnan Province, China. Small Carnivore Conservation, vol. 58, e58001.

Chan, B. P. L. & Zhao, J. B. (2015) A recent record of Stripe-backed Weasel Mustela strigidorsa from Yunnan province, China. Small Carnivore Conservation 51: 74–75.