Mammals · Carnivora · Mustelidae
Ferret
Mustela putorius furo
Not Evaluated
It has not yet been assessed against the IUCN criteria.
The ferret is the domestic form of the European polecat (Mustela putorius), domesticated more than 2,000 years ago to hunt rabbits inside their burrows, a practice known as ferreting. It is a strict carnivore with a very fast gut transit, of barely three or four hours, which obliges it to eat several times a day. It sleeps between 14 and 18 hours a day and is most active at dawn and dusk. Today it is a common pet and also a laboratory animal in influenza research.
Weight
600 g – 2 kg
Size
35 cm – 50 cm
Life expectancy
8 years
