Polecat

• It is markedly sexually dimorphic: males can weigh twice as much as females.
• It eats European rabbits where it can get them, supplemented with small rodents, amphibians and birds.
• It lives in wetlands, woodland edges and scrubby grassland across much of western Europe.
• defensaIt can release a strong-smelling secretion from its anal glands in defence, much as other mustelids do, though not as powerfully as a skunk.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)

Habitat & environment

Wetlands, woodland edges and scrubby grassland across much of western Europe and North Africa

Birth weight

~9.5 grams at birth

Size at birth

Tiny at birth

Sexual maturity

~1 year

Gestation / incubation

40-43 days

Litter / clutch size

3 to 7 young per litter

Lifespan in captivity

Documented record of up to 11-14 years in captivity

Sources consulted: Animal Diversity Web; A-Z Animals; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); Animalia.bio; Genuine Mustelids; First Nature; Animal Spot; PMC (ferret polecat introgression study)

Best time: All year round, mostly at night; it is easiest to detect in spring and summer near riverbanks, ruins and hedgerows, where it hunts amphibians and rabbits.