The lesser grison, Galictis cuja, is a South American mustelid found through most of southern South America from sea level to as high as 4,200 metres. It has a long slender body, short legs, a bushy tail, a long neck and a small head with a flattened forehead and rounded ears, and it is smaller than the greater grison, with a head and body length of 27 to 52 centimetres and a weight of 1.2 to 2.4 kilograms. The back, flanks and tail look grizzled grey while the rest of the body is nearly black, with a buff stripe from forehead to shoulders. It lives in grasslands, forests, scrub, mountain meadows and farmland, generally near water. It is carnivorous, taking rodents, rabbits, birds, frogs, lizards and snakes, and hunts mainly by day. It can be tamed, was once used to hunt chinchillas down burrows, and is still sometimes kept to control rodents on farms.
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System (Realm) ThreatsTransportation and Service Corridors 1 ThreatsBiological Resource Use 1 Relationship to People Relationship to People Living or Extinct Activity Pattern Connections
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Source Lesser grison (Wikipedia)
Source Lesser grison (Wikipedia)
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Source Lesser grison (Wikipedia)Section: Distribution and habitat, where it livesQuote, Section: Distribution and habitat, where it lives
Lesser grisons are found throughout most of southern South America from sea level to as high as 4,200 m (13,800 ft) elevation.
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1. Lesser grison (Wikipedia)
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The lesser grison (Galictis cuja) is a species of mustelid from South America.
Section: Biology and behaviour
Lesser grisons are carnivorous, feeding on small to medium-sized rodents, as well as rabbits, birds, frogs, lizards, and snakes.
Section: Biology and behaviour, activity pattern
Lesser grisons hunt primarily during the day, locating their prey at least partly by scent.
Section: Distribution and habitat
They are found in a wide range of habitats, although generally near water, including grasslands, forests, scrub, and mountain meadows.
Section: Relations with humans
They are still sometimes kept to control rodents on farms, although they may also be hunted, especially where they are thought to prey on domestic poultry.
Section: Distribution and habitat, where it lives
Lesser grisons are found throughout most of southern South America from sea level to as high as 4,200 m (13,800 ft) elevation.
Threats, hunting
They are still sometimes kept to control rodents on farms, although they may also be hunted, especially where they are thought to prey on domestic poultry.
Threats, roadkill
They have also been reported to be amongst the most frequent species among mammalian roadkill in Brazil.
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