Wild Wednesday - Polecat
The polecat, scientific name, Mustela putorius, returned to Sussex a decade ago having become extinct in the late 19th Century due to being hunted by gamekeepers.
The population is now in recovery, and they can be spotted on moors, farmland, woodland, coastal sand dunes and even bogs, and on occasion, they might be seen in gardens, where they are small rodents. They will also prey on rabbits, frogs, earthworms and small birds, producing a strong, musky odour if threatened.
A territorial member of the weasel family, which includes the badger and stoat, the polecat is roughly the size of its ancestor, the ferret, and looks very similar. Polecats and ferrets are known to interbreed, producing fertile offspring.
Active all year round, especially during the dark and twilight hours, spending most of their time on the ground, but they can swim and climb trees.
They will dig burrows under trees take over other animals' burrows to breed, lining the nest with leaves and grass and will modify them by digging extra entry points and rooms. Polecats have one litter each year, giving birth to between five and ten young in May or June. The young are known as ‘kits’, born blind and hairless, and will stay with their mother for about two to three months, maturing by the autumn.
Male Polecats are called 'hobs' and females are known as 'jills'.
Polecats are solitary and tend to be less social, making them less attractive as pets, compared to a domestic ferret. In the wild, they live about 5 to 6 years.
A priority species of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, meaning they are threatened, and conservation actions must be taken to protect them. They are currently protected from predator control, unless specifically licensed, and the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 prevents anyone from harming them.
Read more here: Polecat | The Wildlife Trusts