Details
Mustela putorius
European polecat is a European mustelid predator that uses damp woodland edges, fields, and rural landscapes. Hybridization with domestic ferrets and road mortality are local concerns.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lives in woodland, grassland, riparian strips, farmland, and villages with dense shelter. Main habitat types in this guide are forest, grassland, freshwater, urban.
Typical length 35-60 cm, weight 400 g-1.7 kg. A dark body, pale facial mask, and long low build suit movement through holes and cover.
It is nocturnal and usually solitary. It follows scent trails on the ground and rests in burrows, stone walls, or sheds.
It is carnivorous. Small mammals, frogs, birds, eggs, and carrion are eaten as availability changes.
Litters are born in spring, and young practice hunting movements near the den.
Although still widespread in places, it remains sensitive to habitat change. Hybridization with domestic ferrets and road mortality are local concerns.
