Polecat

Polecat
European polecat
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Mustelidae
Subfamily:	Mustelinae

Polecat is the common name for various medium-sized mammals in the Carnivora order and in the subfamily Mustelinae.

Systematics

According to the systematic theory proposing two subfamilies within Mustelidae, the polecats are classified as:

Subfamily Mustelinae

• Genus Ictonyx
  • Striped polecat, I. striatus
  • Saharan striped polecat, I. libycus
• Genus Mustela
  • Steppe polecat, M. eversmannii
  • American polecat (Black-footed ferret) M. nigripes
  • European polecat, M. putorius
• Genus Vormela
  • Marbled polecat, V. peregusna

A more recent classification based on genetic analysis suggests that Mustelidae should be divided into eight subfamilies, one of which is the Mustelinae.^[1]

Note: In much of the U.S. the word "polecat" is almost exclusively applied to skunks.

Diversity and distribution

Comparative table of the six polecats in the subfamily Mustelinae.

Polecat	Image	Distribution	Weight	Length (including tail)
Striped polecat		Central, Southern, and sub-Saharan Africa	0.6-1.3 kg.	60–70 cm.
Saharan striped polecat	Similar colouration to striped polecat	Various North African countries	0.5-0.75 kg.	55–70 cm.
Steppe polecat		Central and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia	Males, up to 2.05 kg. Females, 1.35 kg.	Males, 32–56 cm. Females, 29–52 cm.
American polecat		South Dakota, Arizona and Wyoming, reintroduced into various U.S. states and northern Chihuahua, Mexico	Males, 0.65–1.40 kg. Females, 10% smaller.	Males, 61–66 cm. Females, 10% smaller.
European polecat		Western Eurasia and North Africa	Middle European Males, 1.0-1.5 kg. Females, 0.65-0.82 kg.	Males, 44–62 cm. Females, 37–54 cm.
Marbled polecat		Southeastern Europe to western China.	Males, 0.3-0.7 kg. Females, 0.3-0.6 kg.	29–35 cm (head and body).

Relation to humans

Place names

United States

• Polecat, Tennessee
• Polecat Landing, South Carolina
• Pole Cat Crossing, Wisconsin

Organizations or group names

• Norwest Polecats, a Rugby League club playing out of the NSW Tertiary Student Rugby League competition in Australia
• Polecat (band), a country/bluegrass/rock band from Bellingham, Washington, USA
• The Polecats, a 1980s British neo-rockabilly band
• The Polecats, a fictional gang in the 1995 video game Full Throttle (1995 video game)

Other

• HMS Polecat
• Lockheed Martin Polecat, an unmanned aerial vehicle
• "Polecats", a basic repertoire of 12 typical barbershop songs, from "barber's pole" and perhaps "catalogue"

Look up polecat in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

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