Mustela putorius Linnaeus 1758

52. European Polecat Mustela putorius French: Putois d'Europe / German: Waldiltis / Spanish: Turon europeo Taxonomy. Mustela putorius Linnaeus, 1758, Sweden. The European Polecat is possibly the ancestor of the domestic Ferret M. p. furo. Up to twenty-two subspecies have been proposed, but a taxonomic revision is needed. Distribution. Most of Europe W of Urals, and Morocco. Descriptive notes. Head-body 29.5-46 cm (males), 20.5-38.5 cm (females), tail 10-519 cm (males), 7-14 cm (females); weight 500-1710 g (males), 400-915 g (females), adult males are larger than females. The European Polecat has a long, slender body and short limbs. The pelage is dark brown to black, with paler, yellowish undersides. The areas between the eye and ear and around the mouth, are silvery white. There are up to five pairs of mammae. Dental formula: 3/3. CV /1.P5/3. M1/2=34. Habitat. The European Polecat is found in forests, meadows, abandoned fields, and agricultural areas, often in close proximity to water. They sometimes occur near humans, but avoid dense urban areas. Food and Feeding. The diet consists of amphibians, small mammals, birds, fish, and invertebrates. In Switzerland, the diet of European Polecats is almost exclusively carnivorous, but somefruits are also eaten, mainly by juveniles. Anurans (frogs and toads; mainly Rana temporaria and Bufo bufo) are the staple food. Other foods of importance are small mammals (mainly Muridae, but also Microtidae and Soricidae), carrion, and eggs. The anuran proportion of the diet is higher in summer than in winter and higher in the mountains than in the lowlands. In mountainous regions, anurans are also the most important food in winter. Juveniles eat more fruits and invertebrates and fewer mammals than adults. Sex-related differences in the importance of the main food categories have not been detected. In Denmark, the stomach contents of 47 European Polecats revealed that they preyed mostly on amphibians (87%) and mammals (34%), and only occasionally on birds (9%) and fish (6%). In Poland, the analysis of 222 scats revealed that anurans (mainly R. temporaria) comprised 70 to 98% of the biomass consumed and were found in 60 to 95% of scats. Forest rodents (Apodemus flavicollis and Clethrionomys glareolus) constituted from 1-29% of the biomass eaten. The consumption of rodents grew with decreasing winter temperature and increasing numbers of rodents. Snow-tracking of individual European Polecats has shown that in wet forests, they move in close proximity to watercourses to search for anurans, whereas in the drier forests, they hunt rodents, mainly by digging. European Polecats constantly move as they search for prey, exploring burrows, hollow logs,trees, tree cavities, rock crevices, and farm buildings. Activity patterns. Mainly nocturnal, but can be crepuscular and active during the day. In Luxembourg, radio-collared European Polecats were 62% active during the night. Males were more active than females, and activity increased from winter to summer. In central Italy, ten males and six females were monitored using radio-telemetry. Males exhibited a regular and constant nocturnal pattern in every season, preferring the time between 20:00-06:00 h; activity was lower at dawn and dusk, and scarce during daylight hours. Females were significantly diurnal and crepuscular, but individuals revealed a flexibility in their activity pattern, including arrhythmic patterns without apparent temporal organization. Den/rest sites include crevices, hollow logs, burrows made by other animals, and sometimes buildings. In Luxembourg, European Polecats were located in 53 different resting sites, during the day. Aboveground shelters were used more often than underground shelters. Piles of branches, barns and stables, garden sheds and rat dens, were the most used sites, without specific preference for any one type of shelter. However, buildings seem to be of prime importance during severe weather conditions. Movements, Home range and Social organization. European Polecats are solitary and terrestrial, but also capable of climbing. Daily movements average 1- 1 km. In some forest areas, home ranges are 100-150 ha. In Poland, European Polecats occupied stretches of 0-65 to 3-05 km along a stream. The home ranges of females were exclusive, but they could be completely overlapped by male home ranges. In Luxembourg, the home range size of European Polecats ranged from 42 to 428 ha, with an average of 181 ha. The mean home range size of males (246 ha) was significantly larger than that of females (84 ha). European Polecats concentrated 50% of their space use in only 15% of their home range, possibly indicating that suitable habitat was patchy. Average distance traveled per night by males was 3-6 times greater than that of females. Also, seasonal variation in movements was observed in males, but not in females. Population density is one per km”. Breeding. Mating occurs from March to June. The gestation period is about 42 days. Litter size is typically three to seven, but may be up to twelve. Neonates are blind and weigh 9-10 g. They open their eyes and are weaned after about one month, and become independent at around three months. Sexual maturity may be reached during the first year. Status and Conservation. Classified as Least Concern in The IUCN Red List. In Western Europe, the European Polecat was widely hunted for sport and fur and persecuted as a pest. However, these threats have become less seriousas this species is now protected in a number of range states, and rates of hunting have greatly reduced. Accidental mortality from car collisions and secondary rodenticide poisoning are threats. In Russia and Morocco, this species is commonly hunted. Hybridization with the Ferret is a possible threat in the United Kingdom. Possible competition with the introduced American Mink may also be a problem. Bibliography. Baghli & Verhagen (2004, 2005), Baghli, Engel & Verhagen (2002), Baghli, Walzberg & Verhagen (2005), Blandford (1987), Brzezinski et al. (1992), Fournier et al. (2007), Hammershoj et al. (2004), Jedrzejewski et al. (1993), Lanszki & Heltai (2007), Lodé (1997, 2003), Marcelli et al. (2003), Rondinini et al. (2006), Stroganov (1969), Virgos (2003), Weber (1989), Wozencraft (2005), Zabala et al. (2005).Published as part of Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Mustelidae, pp. 564-656 in Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona :Lynx Edicions on page 654, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.571404