Polecat is a

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

for several

mustelid The Mustelidae (; from Latin , weasel) 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 suborde ...

species in the

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

Carnivora Carnivora ( ) is an order of placental mammals specialized primarily in eating flesh, whose members are formally referred to as carnivorans. The order Carnivora is the sixth largest order of mammals, comprising at least 279 species. Carnivor ...

and

subfamilies In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zool ...

Ictonychinae Ictonychinae is a subfamily of the mammal Family (biology), family Mustelidae found mainly in the Neotropics (three species) and Africa (three species), with one Eurasian member. It includes the grisons, Patagonian weasel, Ictonyx, striped poleca ...

and

Mustelinae Mustelinae is a subfamily of Family (biology), family Mustelidae, including weasels, ferrets, and minks. __TOC__ It was formerly defined in a paraphyletic manner to also include wolverines, martens, and many other mustelids, to the exclusion of ...

. Polecats do not form a single

taxonomic rank In biology, taxonomic rank (which some authors prefer to call nomenclatural rank because ranking is part of nomenclature rather than taxonomy proper, according to some definitions of these terms) is the relative or absolute level of a group of or ...

(i.e.

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

). The name is applied to several species with broad similarities to

European polecat The European polecat (''Mustela putorius''), also known as the common polecat, black polecat and forest polecat, is a mustelid species native to Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. It is of a generally dark brown colour, with a pale underbel ...

s, such as having a dark mask-like marking across the face. In the United States, the term ''polecat'' is sometimes applied to the

black-footed ferret The black-footed ferret (''Mustela nigripes''), also known as the American polecatHeptner, V. G. (Vladimir Georgievich); Nasimovich, A. A; Bannikov, Andrei Grigorovich; Hoffmann, Robert S. (2001)''Mammals of the Soviet Union''Volume: v. 2, pt. 1 ...

, a native member of the Mustelinae. In Southern United States dialect, the term ''polecat'' is sometimes used as a colloquial nickname for the

skunk Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or gi ...

, which is part of the family

Mephitidae 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 ( ...

. 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

*Genus '' Ictonyx'' **

Striped polecat The striped polecat (''Ictonyx striatus''), also called the African polecat, zoril, zorille, zorilla, African muishond, striped muishond, Cape polecat, and African skunk, is a species of mammal native to sub-Saharan Africa. Despite bearing some ...

, ''I. striatus'', (native to Central, Southern, and sub-Saharan Africa) **

Saharan striped polecat The Saharan striped polecat (''Ictonyx libycus''), also known as Saharan striped weasel and Libyan striped weasel, is a species of mammal native to northern Africa. It belongs in the family Mustelidae, and debate exists among experts over what ge ...

, ''I. libycus'' (Sahara) *Genus ''

Vormela ''Vormela'' is a genus of mustelid which contains the marbled polecat ''(Vormela peregusna)'', and at least one extinct species. The oldest record of the genus dates to the Villafranchian of Bulgaria, where fossils of '' Vormela petenyii'' have b ...

'' **

Marbled polecat The marbled polecat (''Vormela peregusna'') is a small mammal belonging to the genus ''Vormela'' within the mustelid subfamily Ictonychinae. ''Vormela'' is from the German language, German word , which means "little worm". The specific name (zool ...

, ''V. peregusna'' (Southeastern Europe to western China) Subfamily

*Genus ''

Mustela Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets, and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender bo ...

'' **

Steppe polecat The steppe polecat (''Mustela eversmanii''), 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 wi ...

, ''M. eversmannii'' (Central and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia) ** American polecat (Black-footed ferret) ''M. nigripes'' (Southwest United States) **

, ''M. putorius'' (Western Eurasia and North Africa) File:Ictonyx striatus - Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Giacomo Doria - Genoa, Italy - DSC02633.JPG, Striped polecat File:Wild steppe polecat.jpg, Steppe polecat File:Mustela nigripes 2.jpg,

Black-footed ferret The black-footed ferret (''Mustela nigripes''), also known as the American polecatHeptner, V. G. (Vladimir Georgievich); Nasimovich, A. A; Bannikov, Andrei Grigorovich; Hoffmann, Robert S. (2001)''Mammals of the Soviet Union''Volume: v. 2, pt. 1 ...

, the “American polecat” File:Polecat in denmark.jpg, European polecat File:Marbled polecat.jpg, Marbled polecat

References

{{Animal common name Mustelinae Mammal common names

Taxonomy

See also

References