When Otters Were Lion Sized

This is the rise and fall of giant mustelids.
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SOCIAL MEDIA
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CREDITS
Created by Dylan Dubeau
Executive Producer, Director, and Director of Photography: Dylan Dubeau
Host: Danielle Dufault
Editors: Jim Pitts and Cat Senior
Writer: Lauren Greenwood
Producer, Camera Operator: Andres Salazar
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Examining the nature of the beast.

[@DanGamingFan2846]

I've been studying paleontology for years, and somehow I never knew giant mustelids were a thing. These would've been so cool and terrifying to see today, putting the wolverine and honey badger to shame.

[@Im_that_archeops]

Same

[@robdabanks]

And yet, a honey badger would still try to fight one. They might even win if they've had enough Jack Daniels.

[@robdiesel1579]

​@@robdabanksI'd like to imagine these beasts were like their smaller cousins in that they wouldn't back down from taking on a much larger carnivore for a meal.

[@Logan7281X]

It's always fun to learn something new. 😌

[@AndyFromBeaverton]

Imagine if they hunted in packs like the river otters in the Amazon. The hippos in Columbia wouldn't stand a chance.

[@amicableenmity9820]

Mustelids are so fascinating and intelligent! There was a documentary on a honey badger living on an animal rescue preserve and he escaped containment multiple times. Once he used a stick that he carried on his back to climb out of the enclosure, and another time he and his companion unlatched a gate using teamwork.

[@wes8052]

I think his name is farfel or something like that

[@needsbeer]

I remember that one. I was fascinated.

[@paolopasaol9700]

​@@wes8052I think it's Stoffel

[@wes8052]

@@paolopasaol9700 that's exactly what it is

[@Metical1312]

Stoffel is an OG and a Legend!!! He would break out of his enclosure just to go f#*k with the lions. He often chose violence and when he wasn't terrorizing the other animals he would break out just to grief his keeper and then stand on his hind legs and dance on him literally saying "u need to do better" !! 😅 Stoffell is an Alpha honey badger lol

[@rayhanmustakim7073]

Imagine an animal with the temperament of a honey badger and the size of Jaguar.

[@weirdredpanda]

Nightmare fuel

[@darcieclements4880]

Worse, imagine one with the temperament of a stoat

[@alistairdiren5790]

More or less the Amazonian Giant River Otter.

[@wallingnaga6563]

Mass Extinction 😂

[@tremainetreerat5176]

​@@wallingnaga6563right....they went extinct.

[@paul3v767]

The most impressive feature shared by all mustelids, as pointed out by the scientific community, is how cute they are! They are fluffiness incarnate

[@kenster8270]

Cute, but intrepid!

[@ConstantChaos1]

I want to ride a war ferret so bad can we please science bring these back

[@weirdredpanda]

​@@ConstantChaos1Except with horses, you don't have to worry about the possibility of them turning on you and eating you. A war ferret might do that under certain circumstances.

[@ConstantChaos1]

@weirdredpanda not so fun fact, while less likely horses can and have done that, most "vegetarian" animals regularly eat meat and when driven to it by anything from hormones to hunger horses will actively hunt usually small animals but they aren't picky once they do make the switch. In my area it happened a couple decades back and a few stories going back a bit further (not not reliably verifiable)

[@darcieclements4880]

I try not to think about that era because quite frankly the giant river otters in South America are terrifying enough. Otters are like super predators and I am so glad they are small.

[@otterylexa4499]

Fascinating Mustelid facts. I just wish people would stop thinking ferrets are rodents.

[@Solomon0424]

When I was a kid, I thought ferrets were cousins of cats! Lol

[@benjaminnordling5353]

Im a professor in biology and I never knew their were such giant mustelids!

[@DefinitelyNotAFerret]

Hopefully you teach your students a fun fact!

[@DefinitelyNotAFerret]

Hopefully you teach your students a fun fact!

[@darcieclements4880]

Always more to learn. I'm halfway through the video and I'm still waiting for them to mention giant river otters because I mean those things are terrifying and they're still alive today. To put it into perspective, that species is Apex in the River systems where they're found to the point that they periodically just slaughter all of the crocodilians in the area. They don't always do this, probably because the crocodilians aren't entertaining enough, but it's pretty rare for the crocodilians to come out on top when they come in direct conflict with each other.

[@highloughsdrifter1629]

The Dobhar-chu, a cryptid from Ireland, is described as a lion sized otter. Interesting that there is fossil evidence of such a beast.

[@sunnyquinn3888]

I just realized that Danielle not only presents the show, but also does the artwork used in it.

[@stevencollins8348]

I think in one video she mentioned she worked for the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. Which if your into Toronto I recommend

[@HercadosP]

Sea otters are objectively the cutest animals on earth

[@Demon_of_Ink]

Red pandas, aardwolves, baby gators etc.

[@datt5698]

They are evil though.... there would be no procreation without rape. They also rape baby seals and anything they can get their nasty claws on!

[@macc.1132]

Sea Otter mating habits, on the other hand, are incredibly NOT cute, and violent in a way that mustelids can be. I do think that sea otters could one day evolve into a true giant marine mammal the way other mammalian lineages have (whales, manatees, seals, and seal lions, etc.), another frontier for mustelids to "conquer". However, I think coexistence with humans means it's probably never going to happen, more of a "if humans never existed" type scenario. edit: Sorry, more a random comment, not a critique as sea otters look adorable!

[@petebyrdie4799]

They're adorable, but it's stoats for me, especially ermine.

[@darcieclements4880]

​​@@petebyrdie4799subjectively, I must be like the only person ever to not find that species especially cute. Yes they are cute, but they are not especially cute. I think River otters are a lot cuter personally. And there are many other species that I would say are way more cute than any members of this group.

[@nicklindberg90]

Still otter-ly adorable!

[@BriannaRubino-xy7mc]

Awesome. What animal do you like?

[@gerryhouska2859]

Sorry to contradict you, Danielle, but we have none in Australia either. Even ferrets are forbidden in my state of Queensland. Wish we did.

[@whyareyoureadingmynickname8158]

Mustelids have always been a huge pet peeve of mine (thanks to some unpleasant experiences) and this video is just what I needed to see today. Thanks a lot.

[@annonymouslyannoying7297]

That sounds sarcastic lmao

[@rijntje73]

Did someone's mustelid pet peeve you?

[@tonydeluna8095]

Hope everyone has had a wonderful thanksgiving weekend! Cheers animalogic!

[@germanomagnone]

It's incredible to think of an otter as big as a lion! I think that in the future with the extinction that will happen in millions of years these "mega weasels" could return. I imagine that when predators like hyenas, animals like meerkats could take their place (a mix between Timon and Bazai from Disney's "Lion King"), a possible evolution of the meerkats and become a sort of cross between the Jurassic Park raptors and the Disney hyenas. Since meerkats stand upright so often, they may use their front paws for injure the prey until death.

[@weirdredpanda]

You should do a speculative evolution "world" where this happens. Per someone else's comment, giant sea otters could take the place of whales.

[@germanomagnone]

@@weirdredpanda This work of speculative evolution seems a bit too trivial to me. I'm not saying it can't happen, on the contrary it is very realistic: seals already derive from animals similar to otters, and the ambulocetus natans was an ancestor of whales (even if it looked like a cross between an otter and a crocodile).

[@terramater]

So interesting! Well, there's still the giant otter, right?! They're so massive, and our crew got them on camera facing a jaguar, we must say, they are brave.

[@seandewar47]

I honestly think the giant mustelids like Ekorus or Enhydriodon wouldn't have been as aggressive as their modern counterparts, because mustelids are as aggressive as they are because of how small they are compared to their predators. Even the largest mustelids are relatively small

[@darcieclements4880]

Oh they're not just that way because of predators, they're that way at their prey. There are plenty that live in areas that don't have giant predators that are absolutely insane. They don't get the same level of coverage because they don't go and be insane at megafauna which people find fascinating, because they don't live where there's a ton of megafauna, but they are if anything worse than the ones that are classically known.

[@honkeykong9563]

Mustelidae is thought to be both the oldest and the most successful group of animals in the order of Carnivora. There are 66-70 different Species and they likely appeared before the canines.

[@danielcorpuz1873]

Most people: Getting scared of a lion-sized otter that can both swim and run at you Me: Thinking about how adorable their babies are 😍

[@kurtoogle4576]

The surprise at the end made me laugh pretty hard! Still chuckling. :)

[@louiemercado5595]

Excellent on the video on giant mustelids, my friend! My favorite species of the Mustelidae are the Wolverine, the Giant Otter, and the Snowstlker from the Future is Wild. And please continue to make more videos on these strange and wonderful prehistoric animals.

[@Michelle_Wellbeck]

Why are some species (skunks, honeybadgersetc) to be so plucky for their size whereas others like otters to be relatively docile?

[@obamacares8386]

Have you ever seen river otters? They are anything but docile lol. 😂

[@donnievance1942]

@@obamacares8386 You're talking about South American giant river otters. There are also much smaller river otters in North America. North American river otters are not potentially threatening to humans like the South American ones are, but I don't think of any mustelids as docile. They are all ferocious relative to the animals they prey on.

[@javierandrade3230]

Great Auk next please!🙏🐧

[@Anonymous12103]

Wow that’s amazing

[@jambeats2306]

It's a great thing they are as small as they are today, considering the hunting craze and extreme success they achieve with their hunts

[@benmcreynolds8581]

This entire family branch of animals are some of my favorite animals of All time! They are AWESOME! I'd love to see the ancient ones that have existed

[@SIVICHI]

YAY!! thank you for making video about paleo mustelids, i wasn’t expecting this😳 hope you will return to this mischievous family one more time, i absolutely love mustelids and it hard to find more documentary videos with them ;0(

[@albytross8681]

I just gotta say your art inspires me every video. Legit everytime I go on an Animalogic spree you make me want to start drawing paleo art again.

[@jonathan0225]

i've seen enough casual geographic and boy the mustelids are pocket-sized bundles of crackhead energy and tenacity,

[@edwinreveron870]

Fascinating, I didn't know that honey badgers had a much smaller cousin in South America, that look just about identical to them....

[@TroyTheCatFish]

Can you please do a video on Ringtails?

[@dolanpatj]

It wasn't that long ago I discovered Hippos and Whales are closely related. Since then, I've been fascinated by this idea that they might actually interact somewhere, maybe Orcas on the African coast? Interaction between a pod of Orcas and hippos or maybe even elephants would be something remarkable to witness. Does it ever happen?

[@johnathonclayton6964]

Yeah, if there was an animal to ever try to randomly an elephant or hippo, orcas would be the first to give it a go.

[@globin3477]

Orcas are known to kill moose off the coastline- they might try the same with a hippo.

[@user-yd8gi3fz8f]

This nature animals aren’t gonna be nice to Eachother because of a common ancestor 😭

[@DJFracus]

it's true that hippos are the closest living relative to the whales, but whales diverged at least 54 million years ago so I'm not sure I would call that "closely related"

[@FBIandre123]

1:03 mongooses are not mustelids, they are in the family Herpestidae, the same family of meerkats.

[@lucasphilipevasconcelosgom902]

One of the best episodes of Paleologic! I've learned so much!

[@platosbeard3476]

This is weasely my fav mustelid vid this week!

[@legaleagles3654]

😂😂

[@canadianperson4830]

Fantastic work as always. Kudos to you and your team.

[@ethansoderstrom8287]

I would like a video regarding the diverse ecotypes and cultures of the Killer Whale and why they don’t really engage with one another.

[@lokiiago_x0x]

Having been a ferret-father to three kittysnakes, I am a little sad we were robbed of gigantic mustelids but on the other hand I know what cataclysmic mischief they would get up to XD

[@safaiaryu12]

I'm just thinking that a lion-sized honey badger would be terrifying!! 😱 I love seeing the art being drawn on the background, it's so good!!

[@jpmiller7922]

Always been a fan of mustelids ever since i got my Zoobook on them when i was young.

[@needsbeer]

I learn so much from watching this channel. Glad I found it. Thank you and everyone have a good weekend.

[@tatsusama3192]

8:46 That ending actually made me jump😂

[@KonradvonHotzendorf]

4:00 love that Honey Badger versus 🦁 clip Hold me back bro😂🦖

[@ShimejiiGaming]

that was a vicious attack at the end of the video :P

[@douglasmcneil8413]

The ending was great I had to play it again to show my wife. 😆

[@MegaSuki1234]

What! That’s crazy how they get so big. I need to know more. I have been watching you guys for so long and love all the research and information that goes into your videos. ❤

[@deogratiusgitarda]

The clip in the end sent me. Great video as always .

[@unPHILteredNBA]

Merci, Danielle. Come toujours une emission extrordinaire.

[@carnifexvain7444]

i didn't even watch it yet I love mustelids. I just heard " the peak of mustelids" and i had to like the video ^_^

[@jeremypreston5009]

I used to give (already dead feeder) mice to my ferrets as a treat. They would eat EVERYTHING. You could hear them crunching through bones like potato chips

[@Demon_of_Ink]

Mustelids are probably my favorite carnivorans.

[@icollectstories5702]

An advantage of scavenging frozen carcasses is that the meat doesn't spoil and could last for days. And if you're the only one with teeth that can handle it, you don't even have to hide it.

[@rdobson5413]

That ending was too good!! 🤣

[@JugheadJones03]

Three Cheers to the skunk tackle at the end lol.

[@patriciadean1649]

Very interesting and your ability with pronunciation of large words is awesome 👏❤️

[@ping4d064]

sorry if this is a dumb question, but how was it elected that mustelids are the most widespread family in carnivora? like, even if you discount pets, felids and canines are also everywhere but antartica aren’t they?

[@gerryhouska2859]

Not in Australia, all introduced fairly recently (even the dingo).

[@ping4d064]

@@gerryhouska2859yeah but mustelids also aren’t native to australia, but i just played back the video and realized they never said that mustelids are the most widespread so my question didn’t make sense anyways, i heard wrong lol;)

[@fermintenava5911]

They ARE widespread in an evolutionary sense, spanning five continents and parts of the sea and many different habitats with largely varying forms

[@majinsole8554]

That mid-credits scene though 😆 ~_~

[@KissyKat]

Oh, the violence at the end tho! 😂❤

[@locochoco5959]

10/10 content as always. Love this channel! 🙂

[@falcolf]

That ending!😂

[@Nikki0417]

I'm gonna have nightmares about that bonus scene. 😂

[@ayauniuni]

Thanks for the great content❤

[@Sigma_Male_Anti_Female]

Everything was lion sized back then.

[@tyrannotherium7873]

It’s amazing that this animal, auntie terrestrial animals, and even our ancestors Australopithecus afferentsus

[@ConstantChaos1]

I need these back so bad, bring the chaos and let me ride a war ferret

[@AifDaimon]

River otters in Singapore never fail to catch the attention of my fellow Singaporeans wherever they show up..

[@takenname8053]

The suit guys at the end caught me off guard lol

[@Chaz-dj9sq]

I jumped so hard when the skunk tackled the bear at the end...

[@sheldonaubut]

Otters love to play and will chase each other and frolic, and it would have been incredible to watch these giants do the same.

[@sandrar.9731]

I love, love, love Paleologic

[@bbbenj]

The end! What an ending 😂

[@monstermoonshine]

The ending though... 🤣

[@penpenthepenguinthatwelove4385]

Could you make a video about singapore's birds and animals? That will be amazing! Also the Mustelids are very interesting and wouldn't have know about Mustelids. 😁😁😁❤i had aways love your videos🎉🎉

[@TheFoshaMan]

I was hoping you would talk about them someday! Glad the day has finally come! xD Amazing video as always, however I have a question, which mustelid were you drawning? o.O

[@animalogic]

That would be Megalictis!

[@AngieCarr]

I heard somewhere that Amazon Giant River Otters are pretty big in size. Somewhere around 4 feet in length I think, if that’s true that’s crazy!!!

[@PoweredbyRobots]

Sick sketching skills.🤘

[@TheLusus]

Can't you make an episode about Northern Pike? A great underwater beast!

[@mecahhannah]

❤😊 awesome as always thanks guys

[@wildbeauty75937]

Is no one going to talk about the ending 😂😂

[@bazzboda4785]

On the topic of mustelids it seems odd that there is seemingly no talk of reviving the North American Sea Mink.

[@erinaltstadt4234]

Amazon River otters are terrifying, I’m glad they don’t get any bigger these days

[@liambrandley2716]

Could you do videos on bird like dinosaurs like Archaeopteryx, Microraptor, or Yi?

[@WolvenWinter]

That illustration though

[@Staf00plz]

I'd totally want a giant Red Panda! 😅

[@alicewilloughby4318]

7:35 - They look like they're weearing shirts!

[@TroyTheCatFish]

Fantastic Video as always!! :) 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 💖❤️💖❤️

[@dedli_midi]

i unmake all mustelids i see. lmao. also nice dress dude

[@markg1490]

Love your videos!

[@wavesofbabies]

I would not live long in such a time. I love otters too much. Is this what cat lovers feel like seeing big cats?

[@dfwshade7525]

LOL, what was that tackle at the end?!?

[@zeroreyortsed3624]

Pretty sure if you get that close to a Wolverine in the wild, you'd be the next meal. 😅 I've heard stories of them chasing grizzlies away from a meal.

[@BlairsVaultOfStarsAndDreams]

THE END GOT ME GOOD. 😂 I was like, oh this is nice, a furry jus- HOLY SHIT SKUNK TACKLE! 🤣

[@petebyrdie4799]

Absolutely love mustelids.

[@wilgarcia1]

totally imagining Lion sized wolverine. ouch.

[@drandy.myanmaryoutubechannel]

Really amazing 👍

[@walterbigsby6380]

Ferocity isn't just in their nature. It's a necessity in their very way of life.

[@BsfLoe]

A honeybadger the size of a lion is a problem

[@grainassault4844]

I'm imagining since these giant Nile otters we're around only 3 million years ago, there's a good chance that some of them killed or were killed by hominins with spears and handaxes

[@petebyrdie4799]

What should you talk about next? The racoon family, procyonidae, is far more diverse than many realise. Coartis, cacomistles, kinkajous, ringtails.

[@williamdaviddiazcuchimaque7511]

Imagina un mapache del tamaño de un león

[@ceoofjeanneism6777]

Hey animalogic do you guys have a video on European Badgers? I thought you did but I i cant find it

[@benbrown8258]

I wonder if all mustelids are immune to venoms and where that trait first evolved? Additionally 8:47... very good depiction of an animal in the wild being hunted by a mustelid. 10 bonus points!