Mustelidae Spotlight: Lesser Grison

So now we have the lesser grison. The name really does fit. He is much smaller than his greater cousin. This musty only has a body length of 20 inches and weighs a mere 5.3 pounds. They are almost entirely found in the southernmost parts of South America.

In form, they really do resemble the greater grison with their long necks, webbed feet, claws, and anal scent glands. Other than being much smaller in size, you may also recognize a distinct change in color scheme. Remember the habit-looking design from the last blog? Well, the colors are not quite as well-formed with the lesser grison, but there are other things about him to find interesting,

The lesser grison is almost entirely a land animal. He enjoys hunting down little animals like rodents, lizard, and birds. What's that? Were you expecting fish? Any reason why? Might it have to do with the mentioning of their webbed feet? Good point! It is entirely natural that you would assume that they would hunt for fish, but in reality, they don't much like the water. The fact that he has webbed toes is likely because he is related to the greater grison. Indeed, the lesser is quite capable of swimming thanks to the webbing, but he certainly wouldn't be caught doing it when there are at least thirty good reasons to stay dry.

Clearly, the most striking aspect of the lesser grison is their hunting methods. They stalk their prey relentlessly and with a fierceness that is not as indicative of his greater cousin. Their favorite food are cavis such as guinea pigs, but they also enjoy a chinchilla or two. But here is where things become very weird. Lesser grisons are known to play with their prey for up to 45 minutes before finally killing and eating them up. Can you imagine this creatures chasing you around only to let you run off for a bit before ultimately finishing you off? Talk about cruel!

This playfulness actually allows the lesser grison to be easily domesticated and re-purposed into hunting companions. Their eagerness to hunt and kill come in handy especially in obtaining those very valuable chinchilla pelts. You can imagine how they might work in groups at the command of a human.

The latter statements have a great effect on the fiction side of these musties. I see the lesser grison as a cocky and cruel bandit who picks on the small and helpless. He enjoys making his victims experience a nightmare before finally following through with it. Only the most adept fighters can stop him from completing the act. I like this idea. I am always fond of villains that are interesting like this. What do you think?

The difference from greater to lesser is large enough to make both grisons worthy of a spotlight. It is interesting how the lesser seems far more cruel than his greater counterpart. In a way it reminds me of the terrible youth who strikes out at the world for no better reason than to sate his own fevered lusts, while the adult shakes his head at him with severe concern. From animals, we can often see into the nature of humans themselves, and that is why we like them.

Thank you for reading this blog. If you enjoyed it, you can leave a comment below, or you can email me at tooie@tooiekangaroo.com. So long!