Neogale

These small animals are called weasels.

They live in the Americas. Some live in cold woods. Others live in hot deserts. They also live in wet jungles.

These animals are very active. They eat other animals for food.

One kind of weasel lived in Canada. It was a sea mink. That kind of weasel is gone now.

Scientists gave them a new name. This name is Neogale. They are a special group of animals.

The Neogale are small animals. We often call them New World weasels.

They belong to the Mustelidae family. This family includes badgers and otters. It also includes martens and wolverines. These animals are very active. They are also carnivores. This means they eat meat.

These weasels live in the Americas. They live in many places. Some live in cold forests in Alaska. Others live in hot deserts. Some live in wet jungles in South America. They even live in the windy Andes mountains.

Scientists used to group them with other weasels. A new study changed this. They found these animals form a clade. A clade is a group of living things that are close relatives. This group is different from other weasels. They split from other groups long ago. This happened between 11.8 and 13.4 million years ago.

There are five species in this group. Four are still alive today. One kind is now extinct. This was the sea mink. It lived in Canada and the United States.

It is gone now.

The Neogale are small, busy animals. People often call them New World weasels. They belong to a large group called Mustelidae. This group includes many animals like badgers and otters. It also includes martens and wolverines. Neogale are carnivores, which means they eat meat. They are very active living things.

These weasels live in many different places. They are found all across the Americas. Some live far north in Alaska. Others live far south in Argentina and Bolivia. They can live in cold forests in Canada. Some live in hot, dry deserts. Others live in wet jungles like the Amazon basin. They even live in the windy Andes mountains.

Scientists once thought these weasels were part of other groups. They used to call them Mustela or Neovison. Later, studies showed they form a clade. A clade is a group of living things that are close relatives. This group is different from all other members of Mustelinae. They are more closely related to each other than to other weasels.

History helps us understand how they changed. A study in 2021 looked at their past. It found they split from Mustela a long time ago. This happened during the Late Miocene. The split was between 11.8 and 13.4 million years ago. John Edward Gray was the person who first named Neogale. The American Society of Mammalogists later accepted this name.

There are five species in the Neogale group. Four of these species are still alive today. One species is now extinct. This extinct animal was called the sea mink. The sea mink lived in New England in the United States. It also lived in the Maritime Provinces of Canada. It is no longer around today.

The genus *Neogale* includes a group of small, highly active mammals. They are often called New World weasels. These animals are carnivores, which means their diet consists of meat. They belong to the Mustelidae family. This is a large group of related animals. It includes badgers, otters, martens, and wolverines. *Neogale* is a distinct group within this family.

Members of this genus live across a massive range in the Americas. Their habitats vary significantly from one region to another. Some live in the deep-freeze of Alaskan and Canadian boreal forests. Others thrive in the arid desert of the American southwest. You can find them in the humid tropics of Central and South America. They live in the Amazon basin as well. Some inhabit the windswept foothills of the Andes mountains. They also live in northern Patagonia.

Scientists have changed how they classify these animals. In the past, they were placed in the genera *Mustela* or *Neovison*. However, many studies showed a different pattern. These American species form a clade. A clade is a monophyletic group. This means the members share a common ancestor. They are more closely related to each other than to other species in *Mustela*. This discovery helped define the genus *Neogale*.

History shows us when this group became unique. A study conducted in 2021 provided new details. It found that this clade diverged from *Mustela* during the Late Miocene. This period occurred between 11.8 and 13.4 million years ago. The name *Neogale* was originally coined by John Edward Gray. Later, the American Society of Mammalogists accepted this scientific name. This change reflects our better understanding of their evolution.

There are five recognized species within the *Neogale* genus. Four of these species are extant, meaning they are still alive today. The fifth species is extinct. This extinct animal was known as the sea mink. Its scientific name was *Neogale macrodon*.

The sea mink had a specific home in the past. It lived in the Maritime Provinces of Canada. It also lived in New England in the United States. Unlike the other four species, this one is no longer around. It serves as a reminder of how species populations change over time. Studying these different species helps us understand the diversity of the Mustelidae family.

Understanding *Neogale* helps scientists study the history of the Americas. Their presence from Alaska to Argentina shows how adaptable these mammals are. They can survive in both extreme heat and extreme cold. This adaptability is a key part of their biology. By looking at their evolutionary split in the Late Miocene, we learn about the history of life. The way they fit into the Mustelinae subfamily is a major part of modern taxonomy.