The generic name Galictis joins two Greek words: galē (γαλῆ, "weasel") and iktis (ἴκτις, marten/weasel).

They are generally terrestrial, burrowing and nesting in holes in fallen trees or rock crevices, often living underground.

Little is known about grison behaviour for multiple reasons, including that their necks are so wide compared to their heads, that has made radio tracking problematic.

Grisons first appeared in South America during the early Pleistocene about 2.5 million years ago.

They may be descended from the fossil genera Trigonictis and Sminthosinus, which lived in North America during the mid to late Pliocene.