The European polecat (Mustela putorius), also known as the western polecat, is a mustelid species occurring in Europe and the Rif mountains. It is of a generally dark brown colour, with a pale underbelly and a dark mask across the face. Occasionally, colour mutations including albinos, leucists, isabellinists, xanthochromists, amelanists, and erythrists occur. It has a shorter, more compact body than other Mustela species, a more powerfully built skull and dentition, is less agile, and 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, following induced ovulation. It usually gives birth in early summer to litters consisting of five to ten 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.
The European polecat originated in Western Europe during the Middle Pleistocene, with its closest living relatives being the steppe polecat, the black-footed ferret and the European mink. With the two former species, it can produce fertile offspring, though hybrids between it and the latter species tend to be sterile, and are distinguished from their parent species by their larger size and more valuable pelts.
The European polecat is thought to be the sole ancestor of the ferret, which was domesticated more than 2,000 years ago for the purpose of hunting vermin. The species has otherwise been historically viewed negatively by humans. In Britain especially, the polecat was persecuted by gamekeepers, and became synonymous with promiscuity in early English literature. During modern times, the polecat is still scantly represented in popular culture when compared to other rare British mammals, and misunderstandings of its behaviour still persist in some rural areas. Since 2008, it has been classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List due to its wide range and large numbers.
Etymology and naming
The word "polecat" first appeared after the Norman Conquest of England, written (in Middle English) as polcat. While the second syllable is largely self-explanatory, the origin of the first is unclear. It is possibly derived from the French , meaning "chicken", likely in reference to the species' fondness for poultry, or it may be a variant of the Old English , meaning "foul". In Middle English, the species was referred to as , meaning "foul marten", in reference to its strong odour. In Old French, the polecat was called , which was derived from the Low German and Scandinavian verb for "to make a disagreeable smell". This was later corrupted in English as fitchew or fitchet, which itself became the word "fitch", which is used for the polecat's pelt. The word fitchet is the root word for the North American fisher, which was named by Dutch colonists in America who noted similarities between the two species. In some countries such as New Zealand, the term "fitch" has taken on a wider use to refer to related creatures such as ferrets, especially when farmed for their fur."DOC's work with ferrets ", New Zealand Department of Conservation. Retrieved 20 April 2014."Ferrets", "Wild about New Zealand". Retrieved 20 April 2014.
A 2002 article in The Mammal Society's Mammal Review contested the European polecat's status as an animal indigenous to Britain on account of a scarce fossil record and linguistic evidence. Unlike most native British mammals, the polecat's Welsh name (, derived from the Middle English ) is not of Celtic origin, much as the Welsh names of invasive species such as the European rabbit and fallow deer (, derived from the Middle English and , derived from the Old French , respectively) are of Middle English or Old French origin. Polecats are not mentioned in Anglo-Saxon or Welsh literature prior to the Norman conquest of England in 1066, with the first recorded mention of the species in the Welsh language occurring in the 14th century's Llyfr Coch Hergest and in English in Chaucer's The Pardoner's Tale (1383). In contrast, attestations of the Welsh word for pine marten (), date back at least to the 10th century Welsh Laws and possibly much earlier in northern England.Brown, Duncan (2002) The foulmart: what's in a name? Mammal Rev., Volume 32, No. 2, 145–149
Local and indigenous names
Dialectal English names
+Indigenous names for Mustela putorius Linguistic group or area Dialectal name Anglo-Manx Foul-cat Craven/Leeds/South Lancashire Pow-cat Durham Foomart Herefordshire Fitchuck Lancashire Foomurt Scots Foumart, Thummurt, Thoomurt
Latin name As well as the several indigenous names referring to smell (see above), the scientific name Mustela putorius is also derived from this species' foul smell. The Latin translates to "stench" or "stink" and is the origin of the English word putrid.
Evolution The earliest true polecat was Mustela stromeri, which appeared during the late Villafranchian. It was considerably smaller than the present form, thus indicating polecats evolved at a relatively late period. The oldest modern polecat fossils occur in Germany, Britain and France, and date back to the Middle Pleistocene. The European polecat's closest relatives are the steppe polecat and black-footed ferret, with which it is thought to have shared Mustela stromeri as a common ancestor. The European polecat is, however, not as maximally adapted in the direction of carnivory as the steppe polecat, being less specialised in skull structure and dentition.Kurtén Björn (1980), Pleistocene mammals of North America, Columbia University Press, The European polecat likely diverged from the steppe polecat 1.5 million years ago based on IRBP, though cytochrome b transversions indicate a younger date of 430,000 years.Sato, J., T. Hosada, W. Mieczyslaw, K. Tsuchiya, Y. Yamamoto, H. Suzuki. 2003. Phylogenetic relationships and divergence times among mustelids (Mammalia: Carnivora) based on nucleotide sequences of the nuclear interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein and mitochondrial cytochrome b genes . Zoologial Science, 20: 243-264. It is also closely related to the European mink, with which it can hybridise.
Domestication
Morphological, cytological and molecular studies confirm the European polecat is the sole ancestor of the ferret, thus disproving any connection with the steppe polecat, which was once thought to have contributed to the ferret's creation. Ferrets were first mentioned by Aristophanes in 425 BC and by Aristotle in 350 BC. Greek and Roman writers in the first century AD were the first to attest on the ferret's use in bolting rabbits from their burrows. The first accurate descriptions of ferrets come from Strabo during 200 AD, when ferrets were released onto the Balearic Islands to control rabbit populations. As the European rabbit is native to the Iberian Peninsula and northwest Africa, the European polecat likely was first domesticated in these regions.
The ferret and European polecat are similar in both size and portions, to the point that dark-coloured ferrets are almost indistinguishable from their wild cousins, though the ferret's skull has a smaller cranial volume, and has a narrower postorbital constriction. Compared to the European polecat, the ferret has a much smaller brain, though this comparison has not been made with Mediterranean polecats, from which ferrets likely derive. The theory of a Mediterranean origin is further strengthened because the ferret is less tolerant of cold than northern polecat subspecies. Unlike other subspecies, which are largely solitary, the ferret will readily live in social groups. The ferret is also slower in all its movements than the polecat, and hardly ever makes any use of its anal scent glands. Overall, the ferret represents a neotenous form of polecat.
Subspecies , seven subspecies are recognised. SubspeciesTrinomial authorityDescriptionRange SynonymsCommon polecatM. p. putorius (Nominate subspecies)Linnaeus, 1758Larger than mosquensis, with darker, fluffier and more lustrous furWestern European Russia, western Belarus, western Ukraine, Central and Western Europe and North Africaflavicans (de Sélys Longchamps, 1839) foetens (Thunberge, 1789) foetidus (Gray, 1843) iltis (Boddaert, 1785) infectus (Ogérien, 1863) manium (Barrett-Hamilton, 1904) putorius (Blyth, 1842) verus (Brandt in Simashko, 1851) vison (de Sélys Longchamps, 1839) vulgaris (Griffith, 1827)Welsh polecatM. p. angliaPocock, 1936England and WalesMediterranean polecatM. p. aureolaBarrett-Hamilton, 1904A small subspecies with yellowish underfur; it may be the ancestral subspecies from which the domestic ferret is derived, based on the characteristics of the teeth.The southern and western portions of the Iberian Peninsula†Scottish polecatM. p. caledoniaeTetley, 1939ScotlandDomestic ferretM. p. furoLinnaeus, 1758A domesticated form, its skull is generally typical in conformation to the nominate subspecies, though with features in common with the steppe polecat. Typically, the dark facial fur does not extend to the nose, while the pale cheek patches are very extensive and contrast poorly with the dark mask. One or more paws may be white, with white guard hairs often being well distributed over the body, particularly on the hind quarters.Worldwide in association with humansalbus (Bechstein, 1801) furoputorius (Link, 1795) subrufo (Gray, 1865)Middle Russian polecatM. p. mosquensisHeptner, 1966A small subspecies, with relatively light, slightly fluffy fur with little lustreEuropean Russiaorientalis (Brauner, 1929) orientalis (Polushina, 1955) ognevi (Kratochvil)Carpathian polecatM. p. rothschildiPocock, 1932A very lightly coloured subspecies, its fur closely approaches that of the steppe polecat.Dobruja, Romania
Description
Build
The appearance of the European polecat is typical of members of the genus Mustela, though it is generally more compact in conformation and, although short-legged, has a less elongated body than the European mink or steppe polecat. The tail is short, about one-third its body length. The eyes are small, with dark brown irises. The hind toes are long and partially webbed, with weakly curved 4 mm-long, nonretractable claws. The front claws are strongly curved, partially retractable, and measure 6 mm in length. The feet are moderately long and more robust than in other members of the genus. The polecat's skull is relatively coarse and massive, more so than the mink's, with a strong, but short and broad facial region and strongly developed projections. In comparison to other similarly sized mustelids, the polecat's teeth are very strong, large and massive in relation to skull size. Sexual dimorphism in the skull is apparent in the lighter, narrower skull of the female, which also has weaker projections. The polecat's running gait is not as complex and twisting as that of the mink or stoat, and it is not as fast as the mountain weasel (solongoi), stoat or least weasel, as it can be outrun by a conditioned man. Its sensory organs are well developed, though it is unable to distinguish between colours.
The dimensions of the European polecat vary greatly. The species does not conform to Bergmann's rule, with the pattern of size variation seeming to follow a trend of size increase along an east–west axis. Males measure in body length and females are . The tail measures 115–167 mm in males and 84–150 mm in females. Adult males in middle Europe weigh and females . Gigantism is known among polecats, but specimens exhibiting this are likely the products of polecat-mink hybridisation.
Fur