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Why are stink badgers classified as skunks?
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skunk
Striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis).
Stink badgers were formerly classified within the badger subfamily of the Mustelidae (weasel) family, but they have been reclassified as members of the skunk family, Mephitidae.12
This reclassification is based on comparative anatomy and genetic data, which demonstrate that stink badgers share a closer evolutionary relationship with skunks than with other badgers. Like true skunks, stink badgers possess specialized anal glands that produce a powerful, offensive-smelling fluid that they can spray as a defense mechanism. While they were once considered distinct from skunks, their biological characteristics and genetic markers now place them firmly within the family Mephitidae alongside other skunk genera.123