page_title: European polecat
section_title: Fur
hierarchical_section_title: European polecat / Description / Fur
caption_attribution_description: English: European Polecat (Mustela putorius); a juvenile at British Wildlife Centre, Surrey, England. Highest Explore Position #123 ~ On August 19th 2008. Baby European Polecat - British Wildlife Centre, Surrey, England - Sunday August 17th 2008. Click here to see the Larger image European Polecat ~ Mustela putorius ~ A member of the weasel family (Mustelids), polecats were once widespread and common throughout mainland Britain. Relentless persecution by gamekeepers up until the late 1930's resulted in extermination everywhere except for a small population in north Wales. They have since recovered and are now found throughout rural Wales, the Border counties and are spreading across the Midlands, South and into the South-East. They are solitary in nature and active throughout the year. They favoured habitat is woodland, riverbank and surrounding farmland. They will hunt by night or by day for small rodents, birds and insects using a keen sense of smell to locate their prey. They emit a pungent musky odour, particularly when threatened. The polecat is the ancestor of the domestic ferret and can interbreed with them. Origin ~ Native of the United Kingdom. Size ~ Male length: 55 cm plus 20 cm tail. Female length: 50 cm plus 16 cm tail - about the same size as a ferret. Description ~ Sexes alike. Fur long, almost black with purple sheen showing buff undercoat. White markings on face and ears. Habitat ~ Favours lowland country below 500m in woodland, marsh, riverbanks, farmland and farm buildings. Young ~ One litter of 3 -7 young born May or June after 40 days gestation. Fully grown in 3 months. Diet ~ Frogs, water voles, trout, eels, rabbits, snakes and ground nesting birds. Population Pre-breeding season estimated to be 63,000 and increasing.
context_page_description: The European polecat is a species of mustelid native to western Eurasia and north Morocco. It is of a generally dark brown colour, with a pale underbelly and a dark mask across the face. Occasionally, colour 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 body; a more powerfully built skull and dentition; is less agile; and it is well known for having the characteristic ability to secrete a particularly foul-smelling liquid to mark its territory.
  It is much less territorial than other mustelids, with animals of the same sex frequently sharing home ranges. Like other mustelids, the European polecat is polygamous, with pregnancy occurring after mating, with no induced ovulation. It usually gives birth in early summer to litters consisting of five to 10 kits, which become independent at the age of two to three months. The European polecat feeds on small rodents, birds, amphibians and reptiles. It occasionally cripples its prey by piercing its brain with its teeth and stores it, still living, in its burrow for future consumption.
context_section_description: The winter fur of the European polecat is brownish black or blackish brown, the intensity of which is determined by the colour of the long guard hairs. On the back and flanks, the dark tone is brightened by bright whitish-yellowish, sometimes yellowish-greyish underfur which shows through. The lightly coloured underfur is not equally visible on different parts of the body. On the back and hindquarters, the underfur is almost completely covered by the dark guard hairs. On the flanks, though, the lightening is well defined, and contrasts sharply with the general tone of the back. The throat, lower neck, chest and abdomen are black or blackish brown. The limbs are pure black or black with brown tints, while the tail is black or blackish brown, completely lacking light underfur. The area around and between the eyes is black-brown, with a longitudinal stripe of similar colour along the top of the nose. The ears are dark brown and edged with white. The summer fur is short, sparse and coarse. It is greyer, duller and lacking in the lustre of the winter fur. The underfur is more weakly developed in the summer fur, and has a brownish-grey or rusty-grey colour. The polecat is a good swimmer, but its fur is not as well insulated against cold water as the American mink's; while a mink will take 118 minutes to cool in a water temperature of 8 °C, the polecat cools down much faster at 26–28 minutes.
  Polecats were found in two major phenotypes a typic one and a dark fur one with no black mask. Colour mutations include albinos and erythrists. In typical erythristic individuals, the underfur is usually bright reddish. The guard hairs on the trunk are bright reddish or reddish brown. Black guard hairs are absent on the lower body and head. In some rare cases, the guard hairs are so light, they are almost indistinguishable from the pale-yellow underfur. In these cases, the whole animal is a very light golden-yellow colour.
caption: A young erythristic Welsh polecat at the British Wildlife Centre, Surrey, England
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