About Mustela putorius furo Linnaeus, 1758
The European polecat (Mustela putorius), also called the black polecat and forest polecat, is a mustelid species native to Europe and Morocco’s Rif Mountains. It is typically dark brown, with a pale underbelly and a dark facial mask. Occasional colour mutations occur, including albinism, leucism, isabellinism, xanthochromism, amelanism, and erythrism. Compared to other Mustela species, it has a shorter, more compact body, a more powerfully built skull and dentition, and lower agility. It is well known for its characteristic ability to secrete a foul-smelling liquid to mark territory, and is far less territorial than other mustelids—animals of the same sex frequently share home ranges. Like other mustelids, the European polecat is polygamous, and pregnancy occurs after mating via induced ovulation. It usually gives birth to litters of five to ten kits in early summer; kits become independent at two to three months old. The European polecat preys on small rodents, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. It occasionally cripples prey by piercing the brain with its teeth, and stores the still-living prey in its burrow for later consumption. The European polecat originated in Western Europe during the Middle Pleistocene. Its closest living relatives are the steppe polecat, black-footed ferret, and European mink. It can produce fertile offspring with the steppe polecat and black-footed ferret, but hybrids between the European polecat and European mink are usually sterile; these hybrids are larger than their parent species and have more valuable pelts. The European polecat is widely considered the sole ancestor of the ferret, which was domesticated over 2,000 years ago to hunt vermin. Historically, humans have generally viewed the species negatively. In Britain in particular, polecats were persecuted by gamekeepers, and the species became associated with promiscuity in early English literature. In modern times, polecats remain much less well represented in popular culture than other rare British mammals, and misunderstandings about their behaviour persist in some rural areas. Since 2008, it has been classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, due to its wide distribution and large population. The European polecat is widespread across the western Palaearctic, reaching as far east as the Urals in the Russian Federation. It is absent from Ireland, northern Scandinavia, most of the Balkans, and much of the eastern Adriatic coast, and only occurs marginally in northern Greece. In Morocco, it is found in the Rif Mountains, at elevations from sea level to 2,400 m (7,900 ft). Its domesticated form, the ferret, has been introduced to Britain, several Mediterranean islands, and New Zealand. The European polecat is a seasonal breeder with no courtship rituals. During the mating season, the male grabs the female by the neck and drags her to stimulate ovulation, then copulates for up to an hour. As a polygamous species, each male mates with multiple females. Gestation lasts 40 to 43 days, and litters are typically born between May and early June. Each litter averages five to ten kits. At birth, kits weigh 9–10 g (0.32–0.35 oz) and measure 55–70 mm (2.2–2.8 in) in body length; they are born blind and deaf. By one week old, kits are covered in silky white fur; this coat is replaced by a cinnamon brown-greyish woolly coat at 3 to 4 weeks old. Weaning begins at three weeks old, and permanent dentition erupts after 7 to 8 weeks. Kits become independent after two to three months. Females are highly protective of their young, and have been recorded confronting humans that approach their litters too closely. Historically, hunting European polecats was a popular sport. It was a favourite pastime for Westmorland dalesmen and Scots, who hunted the species at night during midwinter. Most human-caused polecat deaths are accidental, however, and most come from steel traps set for rabbits. Hunting polecats by moonlight was also a common pastime for midland schoolboys. Until the mid-19th century, polecats in Britain were hunted from early February to late April across the Welsh hills and Lakeland fells with mixed packs of hunting dogs; otterhounds were used on the fells, the Border country, and the Scottish Lowlands. John Tucker Edwardes, creator of the Sealyham terrier, used captured wild male polecats to test the courage of yearling terriers. In the former Soviet Union, polecats were hunted mainly in late autumn and early winter using guns, hunting dogs, foothold traps, and wooden snares. Even during hunting season, hunters rarely catch more than 10 to 15 polecats, and the species was not an important part of commercial hunting in the region, usually only caught incidentally. The European polecat is a valuable fur species; its pelt, called fitch, is more valuable than that of the steppe polecat. Polecat skins are primarily used to make jackets, capes, and coats, and are especially popular for trimmings on women’s clothing. The tail is sometimes used to make paintbrushes. One drawback of polecat skin is that it retains an unpleasant odour that is difficult to remove. Commercial fur farming of European polecats first began in Great Britain in the 1920s, but the species only gained economic importance in Finland in 1979. It never became popular for fur farming in the United States and Canada, due to import restrictions on non-native species, but it did become economically important in the USSR.
