Despite their reputation as pests of poultry, polecats eat small rodents, frogs, birds and snakes during their nocturnal hunting forays. They will slowly stalk their prey, seizing it and killing it with a swift bite to the neck.
What to do if you find a polecat?
If you have seen a polecat, please report it to your local Biological Records Centre or county mammal recorder .
What does the polecat eat?
Wild rabbits are a most important food, comprising 85% of the diet of polecats in the English midlands. Most rabbits are killed underground in their burrows, where polecats prefer to rest during daylight. Other prey includes rats, small mammals, amphibians, birds and earthworms.
Can polecats climb trees?
Principally terrestrial, the polecat hunts at night, feeding on small mammals and birds. It also eats snakes, lizards, frogs, fishes, and eggs. The polecat is more powerful than the marten but less active, and it rarely climbs trees .
How does a polecat protect itself?
The female ranges over a smaller area and her territory may overlap with that of another female or male. Both sexes mark territories with an oily, yellow musk, which has a pungent smell. The polecat also uses this as a defence if it is frightened or angry .
Are polecats aggressive?
When encountering each other, they are usually aggressive . When alarmed, a marbled polecat raises up on its legs while arching its back and curling its tail over its back, with the long tail hair erect. ... If threatened, it can expel a foul-smelling secretion from enlarged anal glands under its tail.
Do polecats stink?
The clue is in its scientific name – Mustela putorius. Putor in Latin means foul smell. Polecats have scent glands either side of their nether regions which they use to make a pungent and impressively repellent scent . ... Polecats have a tendency of indiscriminately killing dozens of frogs and toads.
Can polecats be pets?
As polecats tend to be less social and more solitary makes them less attractive as pets when compared with a ferret. However, both are suitable to keep as pets . ... If you are looking to just get a single ferret or polecat, opt for a polecat as this is their preference.
What does polecat poo look like?
Polecats are a small-medium sized mustelid. They have dark brown fur with yellow underfur. ... Droppings have the typical twisted mustelid appearance. They are similar to American mink droppings but contain no fish remains and some plant material.
Can you shoot polecats?
The polecat is not on Schedule 5 , and therefore it remains lawful to kill or take them by any method that is not forbidden for other reasons. So shooting a polecat is lawful, and in some emergency situations (e.g. to protect poultry or pets) this is an available option that does not require any special licence.
Do polecats swim?
Polecats are good swimmers . A Polecat wil hunt rabbits, frogs, mice, birds, eggs and reptiles. It has an accute sense of hearing which it uses to hunt down its prey.
Do polecats spray?
The striped polecat is an aggressive and very territorial animal. It marks its territory with its feces and through an anal spray . The spray serves as a defense against predators, in a similar manner to skunks.
Is it legal to own a stoat?
The stoat is rarely found in captivity and is a difficult animal to look after. Keeping stoats as pets is illegal in most states in the U.S. , and as such, there are no licensed breeders. This means that any stoats for sale are likely wild-caught specimens and very likely illegal.
Do polecats eat squirrels?
The list of mammalian predators that will take squirrels if the opportunity arises is considerable and includes red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), domestic cats (Felis catus), wild cats (Felis sylvestris), domestic dogs (Canis familiaris), badgers (Meles meles), polecats (Mustela putorius), weasels (M. nivalis) and mink (M.
Do polecats eat rats?
The problem. By 1915 the largest population of polecats was left in central Wales. ... This is because polecats eat rats, particularly in the winter , and rats are routinely controlled using a range of rodenticides.
Do polecats hibernate?
Most of their activity, including hunting, happens at night. They do not hibernate , but become less active during the cold months.
