European polecat European polecat The European polecat ("Mustela putorius") – also known as the common ferret, black or forest polecat, or fitch (as well as some other names) – is a species of mustelid native to western Eurasia and north Morocco. It is of a generally dark brown colour, with a pale underbelly and a dark mask across the face. Occasionally, colour mutations, including albinos and erythrists, occur. Compared to minks and other weasels – fellow members of the genus "Mustela" – the polecat has a shorter, more compact body; a more powerfully built skull and dentition; is less agile; and it
Polecat–ferret hybrid the 14th century. John George Wood wrote in 1870 that polecat–ferrets were sometimes used by hunters alongside pure ferrets. In modern times, alleged ferret–polecat hybrids are occasionally advertised as superior to pure ferrets for the purposes of rabbiting, though actual hybrids are very likely to be less handleable, less willing to familiarise themselves with dogs, and more likely to kill their quarry outright rather than simply flush it from its burrow. Polecat–ferret hybrid A polecat–ferret hybrid is a hybrid between a wild European polecat ("Mustela putorius") and a domesticated ferret ("Mustela putorius furo"). Offspring of a such a cross between