Vietnam ferret-badger

The Vietnam ferret-badger, Melogale cucphuongensis, is a mustelid native to Vietnam, described in 2011 and known from only two specimens. In March 2005 rangers confiscated a living ferret-badger of unfamiliar appearance at Cuc Phuong National Park, and in January 2006 a freshly dead animal of the same type was found at the Endangered Primate Rescue Center in the park. Its dark brown head and body, a black and white stripe running from neck to shoulders and the shape of its skull led to its being named as a new species. Both specimens come from a degraded lowland evergreen forest fringe on limestone in Ninh Binh Province, so it may depend on karst habitat. The IUCN classes it as Data Deficient, and the name is only provisionally accepted because it is unclear whether it is valid against earlier synonyms. Hunting at the site is heavy and one specimen had apparently escaped from a snare.