#musteloid

My OC Winter the stoat!

Today, 16 September is International Red Panda Day! Red pandas (Ailurus fulgens) are also called lesser pandas, or red bear-cats. Red pandas are named for the reddish-brown fur that is found on the upper parts of their body. Their legs usually have a darker or black fur, and their faces are round with light fur that shows tear markings. They also have long, bushy tails with six orange rings. Red pandas are good climbers, and often try to flee from danger by climbing rocks or trees to get away from their predators. When not climbing, red pandas have a waddling gait due to having anatomically shorter front legs than hind legs. Red pandas are found in bamboo forests from central Nepal eastward along the Himalayas through Bhutan, India, and Myanmar into China. Despite being found in a relatively broad region, they are endangered and suffer from habitat loss, population isolation, and human interference in the wild.

Red pandas are the sole living representative of its subfamily classification “Ailurinae” and are a part of the broad superfamily Musteloidea. Despite what their name would suggest, red pandas are more closely related to other musteloids – including skunks, raccoons, and weasels – than they are to giant pandas. However, like giant pandas, red pandas are carnivores and their diet specializes in bamboo. About 90% of a red panda’s annual diet comes from the leaves of bamboo trees, though red pandas also eat eggs, birds, insects, and fruit (and, apparently, sushi).

Winter the Stoat in a Winter Coat, and her friends.

Happy International Skunk Day!

Here's an anthro version of my skunk OC Winter! 🩵

Finally, here is the brand new, redesigned version of my main Original Character - Winter M. Golden!

Formerly, she was a stoat character. However, because I'm known as Winter Skunk on the great world wide web.. why not make her a skunk instead?

So I went ahead and switched her species to the most easily recognizable, iconic member of the skunk family. The striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis)!

Which is quite ironic, as skunks used to be classified as a subfamily in the Mustelidae family, until the year 1997, where a DNA study suggested having them elevated to their own, independent family: Mephitidae.

It was then widely accepted by the scientific community. The family Mephitidae means "noxious odor" and it includes skunks and stink badgers, closely related to the Ailuridae family of red pandas. Despite this, some institutions continue to list them under their old classification, as a result I often get in touch with various entities to request helpful, up-to-date corrections to their content in order to reflect the new taxonomy, reducing taxonomic inertia. Which can improve conservation efforts. Though, both families remain in the same superfamily, Musteloidea.

Rather than her beautiful coat turning white in winter, she just gets floofier during the cold season, I guess.

Her full name is Winter Marie Golden. As stated before, Winter loves to socialize and hang out with others. I would like to add that she enjoys playing video games. She is a programmer, her favorite music genre is rockabilly, and is fond of coffee.

Whenever Winter wears this mysterious, powerful golden bracelet that was discovered in a lost forest, she shapeshifts into another member of the Musteloidea superfamily.

I would describe her personality as clever, resourceful, intelligent, loyal and hard-working.

Her friends are Spring Spots (a fancy American mink who resembles a mini dalmatian), Summer Rose (a hyperactive ringtail who collects rocks and shells), and Autumn Pumpkin (a mostly reclusive red panda who is fascinated with biology and geography).

As for their enemies..? Well, there's Dry (an American badger), and Wet (a Giant Otter). Dry is selfish and arrogant. Wet is manipulative and also sleazy.

I'll post more art of Winter and her friends soon! I'm still working on the antagonists, but I'll keep everyone updated!