Polecats, ferrets, mink?

[Geo]

On recent trips south but still in Caithness I have seen quite a few animals that look like polecats. My first guess was mink or escaped ferrets however the face markings, size and length of fur reminds me more of polecats I saw in a pet shop years ago. The mink I have seen previously on the west coast were always very darkly coloured whereas these are light brown/golden with distinctive shading on the face. Lovely looking animals. Can anyone give a definite identification?

[Tugmistress]

maybe weasels or stoats?
described one running across my garden a while back to a friend at work that is extremely knowledgable to do nature, he reckoned a weasel in my case.

[Geo]

I did wonder about stoats but I think the colouring and size is wrong. Definitely not weasels.

On this page they look very like the one in the 3rd picture down which is listed as a polecat:
http://www.moorhen.demon.co.uk/mammals2.htm

Whatever they are I wonder why there are so many about all of a sudden. First I've noticed any in Caithness and friends at Lybster have also seen them on their travels to and from Wick recently.

I saw two playing in the grass at the side of the road just before Lybster. First thought was they were escaped pets. They were very cute tumbling about. Probably have your finger off though! :-)

[George Brims]

The various animals of that type can and do interbreed. About 45 years ago a farmer in Watten (my dad!) lost some ferrets when their cage blew over in a gale. In subsequent years there were some black or dark coloured weasels to be seen in the area, presumably from cross-breeding with the escaped ferrets.

And yes Geo they will have your finger off if you give them the chance. I once came across a half grown weasel trying to drag away a rabbit that had been killed on the road. It disappeared into the grass when I got close. I thought it might end up the same way as the rabbit if a car came along, so I reached down to pick up the rabbit and move it off the road. The ungrateful little beast came out of the grass like a bolt of lightning and bit me on the hand!

[cezzy1234]

i know a few people how had ferrets and then got rid of them just let them go lose they might be a cross bettween ferrits and pole cats you never know.

[sids]

A ferret is a domesticated polecat. Many ferrets are albino. Some are polecat coloured (brown with dark spectacles). Wild polecats are or were thought to be extinct in Scotland. Many ferrets escape. It is doubtful that feral ferrets have instincts and skills to be viable in the wild, long term, but they might, in which case we may never know if we are seeing feral ferrets or a recovered polecat population, or interbreeding of both.

Do Google image search for polecat, polecat ferret, white ferret, weasel, stoat, pine marten and otter, to familiarise yourselves with what they look like.

[fred]

I did wonder about stoats but I think the colouring and size is wrong. Definitely not weasels.


Weasels are weasily distinguished while stoats are stoatally different.

[Geo]

Do Google image search for polecat, polecat ferret, white ferret, weasel, stoat, pine marten and otter, to familiarise yourselves with what they look like.

Been doing that on and off for days. Each time I see one I do another search on Google. :) Polecats looks the most like them. Had a look for pine martins as my brother in law said someone brought one of those into his work but the pictures on Google are different from what I'm seeing. Will have to start bringing my camera with me. :)

[smee]

This may sound crazy but I was driving on the Watten/Mybster road a few weeks ago and came across around 8 weasel/polecat/ferret type creatures all messing about on the road as if they were holding tails to cross, I thought from a distance it was an injured dog writhing around, and yes there were 8 and I hadn't been to the brown trout. Is that unusual?

[Geo]

Sounds a lovely sight Smee. Can you remember what colour they were? Was the fur long or short? Any face markings? Weasels are the smallest in the family, noticeably smaller than a ferret, usually chestnut brown with a white chest/belly.

Was speaking to my dad about it and he's also seen about six of the animals I've spotted. His first thought was polecats too. I'm guessing they are polecats or a polecat/ferret cross.