European polecat

16 - European Polecat

Tighter controls on pollution and hunting have led to a resurgence of stoats, otters, badgers and other wild carnivores.

www.adamswaine.co.uk

The polecat is one of our most popular animals with the visitors we have, I think this is due to their very playful nature, curiosity and perhaps familiarity too as they do very closely resemble the domestic ferret. But it hasn't always been perceived in this way in the wild. They once had a very bad reputation for being blood thirsty animals and were considered vermin, with the term "foulmart" often used as a derogatory name for someone. Because of this gamekeepers would intentionally trap…

The European Polecat (Mustela putorius), also known as the common ferret, black or forest polecat, or fitch (as well as some other names), is a species of mustelid native to western Eurasia and north Morocco. It is of a generally dark brown color, with a pale underbelly and a dark mask across the face. Occasionally, color mutations, including albinos and erythrists, occur. Compared to minks and other weasels – fellow members of the genus Mustela – the polecat has a shorter, more compact…

Basic facts about European Polecat: lifespan, distribution and habitat map, lifestyle and social behavior, mating habits, diet and nutrition, population size and status.

paulhayes.photography/2014-06/polecat/

polecat in captivity

Belongs to the mustelid family ( stoats & weasels) and found mostly in north western scotland and forests.- www.adamswaine.co.uk