European Polecat || Characteristics and Facts

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The common weasel is a species of mustelid native to western Eurasia and northern Morocco. It is much less territorial than other mustelids, with animals of the same sex often sharing home ranges. Like other mustelids, the common weasel is polygamous, with pregnancy occurring after mating, without induced ovulation. It usually gives birth in early summer to litters with five to 10 kits, which become independent at the age of two to three months. The European ferret feeds on small rodents, birds, amphibians and reptiles. Occasionally, it mutilates its prey by piercing its brain with its teeth and storing it, still alive, in its lair for future consumption. The European weasel originated in Western Europe during the Middle Pleistocene, with its closest living relatives being the steppe weasel, the black-footed ferret and the European mink. With the first two species, it can produce fertile offspring, although hybrids between it and the last species tend to be sterile and are distinguished from their parent species by their larger size and more valuable skins.