Ictonyx

Ictonyx is a genus of mustelid containing the striped polecat (Ictonyx striatus), a species native to sub-Saharan Africa that despite its skunk-like appearance belongs to the weasel family Mustelidae rather than the skunk family Mephitidae; genetic evidence points to the African striped weasel as its closest living relative. The striped polecat ranges across most of sub-Saharan Africa, from Mauritania to southeastern Egypt in the north and south to South Africa, though it is absent from the rainforests of West Africa and the Congo Basin and from certain dry parts of Somalia and Ethiopia. It measures 30 to 38 centimeters in length excluding the tail, with males notably larger than females, and is mostly black with four white stripes down the back and white facial patches; long curved foreclaws let it dig burrows and excavate invertebrate prey. Nocturnal and feeding mainly on insects, rodents, and reptiles, it defends itself by spraying a nauseating irritant fluid from anal glands, much like a skunk, with its bold coloring serving as a warning of this defense.