Hiding among the cloud-soaked forests of the Andes Mountains lives an elusive mesocarnivore that has evaded scientific discovery until recently- the olinguito.
Misunderstood Mesos: Aardwolves
Among the shrublands of Africa lives a fascinating mesocarnivore that is named after two other, more popular, species. However, the aardwolf is not related to either the aardvark or wolf, but rather an ancient member of the Hyaenidae, or hyena family. Even though...
Misunderstood Mesos: Sand Cat
Mesocarnivores occupy most habitats of the world, even scorching deserts where all life seems to be vacant. With extreme temperature fluctuations and sparse vegetation, it is surprising any animals can survive desert conditions, yet enough primary consumers exist to support several predators. The sand cat is one of those predatory desert specialists who cling to life within one of the harshest habitats on the planet.
Misunderstood Mesos: Spotted Skunks
When most people think of “skunk,” they picture the notorious striped skunk, a species that we examined in a previous Misunderstood Meso piece. However, another variety of skunk inhabits most of the same range as their more popular cousin yet is less understood and...
Stay Up to Date on Misunderstood Mesos!
Are you up to date on Jeremy’s Misunderstood Mesos articles? Each article goes over an important mesocarnivore – these animals are crucial members of their ecosystems and often play important roles as primary and secondary consumers. Mesocarnivores help keep their...
Misunderstood Mesos: Pacific Marten
Pacific marten is one of the latest mammals on Earth to have achieved their distinct species declaration. They are so misunderstood that they were believed to be extinct until a recent discovery of a surviving population in 1996. Long thought to be a subspecies of...