European polecat

Description

European polecats, or forest polecats, have a slender, elongated body with short limbs. The coat is dark brown or black, the yellowish undercoat shimmers through the outer hairs. The snout is whitish, as is the area behind the eyes and the tips of the ears. Black patches around and in front of the eyes provide a mask-like face pattern. The coat is the same colour in summer and winter, but the summer coat is much thinner.

Despite the name forest polecat, the polecat is not a distinct forest dweller; its habitat tends to be the open edges of forests, but also fields and meadows. It is often found near water bodies and wetlands. Sometimes it settles close to villages and on farms, where stables and barns are also part of its hunting ground.

The text is a translation of an excerpt from Wikipedia (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europäischer_Iltis). On wikipedia the text is available under a „Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike“ licence. Status: 02 September 2021