Mustela putorius
European polecat

Polecats range throughout Europe. Polecats are rare in the British Isles, due to human pressure, but seem to be increasing in numbers in recent years.

Polecats have been introduced to New Zealand.

Polecats prefer to live along bodies of fresh water, in wetlands, on the edge of forests, or in grasslands with islands of scrub trees.

Polecats display extreme sexual dimorphism, wherein males can weigh up to twice as much as females and be a third or more longer. They have a coat of creamy-colored underfur with black guardhairs. In winter, this coat is thick, smooth and glossy. In summer, after biannual shedding, the coat is thin and faded and loses the luster of the winter coat. Polecats have a raccoon-like dark mask around their eyes, surrounded by a white face accented with white-tipped ears. Like all mustelids, polecats have a pair of anal glands that emit a strong-smelling secretion. When polecats are excited or threatened they release some of the contents of these glands.

Polecats are lean, slender weasel-like creatures with short legs and a "bounding" gait that is faster and more efficient than it appears. Their skulls are slightly "boxy" and more canine in appearance that those of the other weasels; their faces more closely resemble minks than weasels. Like these other mustelids, polecats display a "key-lock" formation of the jaw, where the articulation between the dentary and the rest of the skull is nearly sealed off into a permanent hinge and is very difficult to separate even after death. This gives the mustelids their amazing tenacity of grip during fights, hunting, and play. Polecats and ferrets can be lifted and suspended by whatever they are gripping with their teeth.

Males in nearby territories may compete for access to reproductive females. Copulation appears violent, males grab females by the back of the neck and drag her back and forth until she is completely limp.

Polecats come into estrous during late winter. Usually one litter is produced a year though, if that one is lost, it is possible for the female to give birth again that season. The 3-7 young are born after a 42 day gestation and are weaned after one month. Although they are not completely mature until they are around six months old. Maternal protection of the young ends at around three months when they reach adult size.

Females care for their young until they reach their adult size, at about 3 months old.

Most mustelids are solitary creatures, and polecats are no exception. Unless a female has a litter, or is in season, polecats will strongly defend their territory. They are primarily nocturnal although females with young have been known to forage during the day.

Their sense of vision is not very acute; they rely mainly on their sense of smell to track and kill prey.

Mustela putorius is carnivorous and generally preys on rodents and rabbits. It is a testament to the polecat's ferocity that it can and will take down a rabbit that is much larger than itself. Should food become scarce, polecats also eat insects and fruit, though they are much less able to handle the digestion of these foods than either canids or ursids.

Polecats are important predators of small mammals in the ecosystems in which they live.

European polecats help to control rodent populations. Their domesticated descendant, the household ferret (Mustela putorius furo), is a popular pet and has been used in hunting for millenia. They have also been hunted for their fur, which is considered valuable, though not as valuable as that of other mustelids such as mink or ermine.

As with other mammalian carnivores, polecats can be rabies vectors. They can also carry distemper and the common cold, causing problems for dogs and humans, respectively. They can occasionally damage poultry farms, as they will kill more than they can eat and drag the rest off for later.

Polecats are common throughout Europe and are neither threatened or endangered.