Polecat

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European polecat Polecat in denmark.jpg
European polecat

Polecat is a common name for several mustelid species in the order Carnivora and subfamilies Ictonychinae [1] and Mustelinae. Polecats do not form a single taxonomic rank (i.e. clade). The name is applied to several species with broad similarities to European polecats, such as having a dark mask-like marking across the face.

Contents

In the United States, the term polecat is sometimes applied to the black-footed ferret, a native member of the Mustelinae. In Southern United States dialect, the term polecat is sometimes used as a colloquial nickname for the skunk, which is part of the family Mephitidae. [2]

Despite their common name, polecats are related more closely to dogs than to cats.

Taxonomy

According to the most recent taxonomic scheme proposing eight subfamilies within Mustelidae, polecats are classified as:

Subfamily Ictonychinae

Subfamily Mustelinae

Mustelidae

Lutrinae

Mustela , Neogale (subfamily Mustelinae)

Galictis , Vormela , Ictonyx , Poecilogale (subfamily Galictinae)

Melogale (subfamily Helictidinae)

Eira , Gulo , Martes (subfamily Guloninae)

Arctonyx , Meles (subfamily Melinae)

Mellivora (subfamily Mellivorinae)

Taxidea (subfamily Taxideinae)

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mustelidae</span> Family of mammals

The Mustelidae are a diverse family of carnivoran mammals, including weasels, badgers, otters, polecats, martens, grisons, and wolverines. Otherwise known as mustelids, they form the largest family in the suborder Caniformia of the order Carnivora with about 66 to 70 species in nine subfamilies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mephitidae</span> Family of mammals

Mephitidae is a family of mammals comprising the skunks and stink badgers. They are noted for the great development of their anal scent glands, which they use to deter predators. Skunks were formerly classified as a subfamily of the Mustelidae ; however, in the 1990s, genetic evidence caused skunks to be treated as a separate family. Similarly, the stink badgers had been classified with badgers, but genetic evidence shows they share a more recent common ancestor with skunks, so they are now included in the skunk family. A 2017 study using retroposon markers indicated that they are most closely related to the Ailuridae and Procyonidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-footed ferret</span> Species of carnivore

The Black-footed ferret, also known as the American polecat or prairie dog hunter, is a species of mustelid native to central North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European polecat</span> Species of mustelid native to Eurasia and north Morocco

The European polecat, also known as the common polecat, black polecat and forest polecat, is a mustelid species native to western Eurasia and North Africa. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spotted skunk</span> Genus of carnivores

The genus Spilogale includes all skunks commonly known as spotted skunks. Currently, there are four accepted extant species: S. gracilis, S. putorius, S. pygmaea, and S. angustifrons. New research, however, proposes that there may be up to seven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Striped polecat</span> Species of mustelid mammal from sub-Saharan Africa

The striped polecat, also called the African polecat, zoril, zorille, zorilla, Cape polecat, and African skunk, is a member of the family Mustelidae that resembles a skunk. The name "zorilla" comes from the Spanish word "zorillo", meaning "skunk", itself a diminutive form of the Spanish "zorro," "fox." It lives predominantly in dry and arid climates, such as the savannahs and open country of Central, Southern, and sub-Saharan Africa, excluding the Congo basin and the more coastal areas of West Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steppe polecat</span> Species of carnivore

The steppe polecat, also known as the white or masked polecat, is a species of mustelid native to Central and Eastern Europe and Central and East Asia.It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because of its wide distribution, occurrence in a number of protected areas, and tolerance to some degree of habitat modification. It is generally of a very light yellowish colour, with dark limbs and a dark mask across the face. Compared to its relative, the European polecat, the steppe polecat is larger in size and has a more powerfully built skull.

<i>Ictonyx</i> Genus of carnivores

Ictonyx is a genus in the family Mustelidae (weasels). It contains two species:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marbled polecat</span> Species of carnivore

The marbled polecat is a small mammal belonging to the genus Vormela within the mustelid subfamily Ictonychinae. Vormela is from the German word Würmlein, which means "little worm". The specific name peregusna comes from perehuznya (перегузня), which is Ukrainian for "polecat". Marbled polecats are generally found in the drier areas and grasslands of southeastern Europe to western China. Like other members of the Ictonychinae, it can emit a strong-smelling secretion from anal sacs under the tail when threatened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mustelinae</span> Subfamily of carnivores

Mustelinae is a subfamily of family Mustelidae, including weasels, ferrets, and minks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferret-badger</span> Genus of carnivores

Ferret-badgers are the six species of the genus Melogale, which is the only genus of the monotypic mustelid subfamily Helictidinae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guloninae</span> Subfamily of carnivores

Guloninae is a subfamily of the mammal family Mustelidae distributed across Eurasia and the Americas. It includes martens and the fisher, tayra and wolverine. These genera were formerly included within a paraphyletic definition of the mustelid subfamily Mustelinae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saharan striped polecat</span> Carnivore in Sahara

The Saharan striped polecat, also known as Saharan striped weasel and Libyan striped weasel, is a species of mammal in the family Mustelidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stink badger</span> Genus of carnivores

Stink badgers or false badgers are the species of the genus Mydaus of the skunk family of carnivorans, the Mephitidae. They resemble the better-known members of the family Mustelidae also termed 'badgers'. There are only two extant species – the Palawan stink badger or pantot, and the Sunda stink badger or teledu. They live west of the Wallace Line; the Sunda species on islands of the Greater Sunda Islands, being Sumatra, Java, and Borneo; in Borneo the badger is found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. The Palawan species lives in the Philippine island of Palawan as well as the islands surrounding it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Musteloidea</span> Superfamily of carnivoran mammals

Musteloidea is a superfamily of carnivoran mammals united by shared characteristics of the skull and teeth. Musteloids are the sister group of pinnipeds, the group which includes seals.

Zodiolestes is a genus of mustelids, now extinct, which existed during the Miocene period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ictonychinae</span> Subfamily of carnivores

Ictonychinae is a subfamily of the mammal family Mustelidae found mainly in the Neotropics and Africa, with one Eurasian member. It includes the grisons, Patagonian weasel, striped polecats, African striped weasel, and marbled polecat. These genera were formerly included within a paraphyletic definition of the mustelid subfamily Mustelinae.

References

  1. Nascimento, Fabio Oliveira do (2014). "On the correct name for some subfamilies of Mustelidae (Mammalia, Carnivora)" (PDF). Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia. 54 (21): 307–313. doi: 10.1590/0031-1049.2014.54.21 . ISSN   0031-1049.
  2. "Skunk Fact Sheet" (PDF). The Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division.