Vormela peregusna, Blasius, 1884

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Mustelidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 564-656 : 637

23.

Marbled Polecat

Vormela peregusna

French: Zorille marbrée / German: Tigeriltis / Spanish: Turén jaspeado

Taxonomy. Mustela peregusna Guldenstadt, 1770 ,

Russia.

Six subspecies are recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

V. p. peregusna Giildenstadt, 1770 — Russia.

V. p. alpherakii Birula, 1910 — Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

V. p. euxina Pocock, 1936 — Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine.

V. p. negans G. S. Miller, 1910 — NC & W China and S Mongolia.

V.p. pallidior Stroganov, 1948 — Kazakhstan.

V. p. syriaca Pocock, 1936 — Armenia, Azerbaidjan, Egypt, Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, and Syria.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 31-32: 6 cm (males), 28.8-47.7 cm (females), tail 16-5— 17- 5 cm (males), 15.5-17.8 cm (females); weight 330-715 g (males), 295-600 g (females), adult males are slightly larger than females. The Marbled Polecat has a long body and short limbs. The pelage is yellowish and is mottled with reddish or brown markings. The ears are large and white, the muzzle is short, and there is a conspicuous white stripe across the head. The area around the mouth is white. The fur is black around the eyes, giving a masked appearance. Thetail is bushy and covered with black and white hairs. The limbs are short and the feet have long claws. There are five pairs of mammae. The skull is short and broad. Dental formula: 13/3, C1/1,P3/3,M 1/2 = 34.

Habitat. The Marbled Polecatis found in open desert, semi-desert, semi-arid rocky areas in upland valleys, steppe country, arid subtropical scrub forest, and low hill ranges. It is generally not found on higher mountain ranges, but has been recorded up to 2100 m. In Europe, the Marbled Polecat inhabits steppes with sparse hawthorn bush and sloe trees, and oldfields. In western Yugoslavia, they occur in montane-steppe and woodland-steppe areas. In eastern Yugoslavia, Marbled Polecats are found from river terraces and low hills to mountainous meadows. In western Serbia, they inhabit the outskirts of settlements. On the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, one adult male was captured in a sparsely vegetated sandy area. In Lebanon, Marbled Polecats are restricted to cultivated areas in close association with humans. In Israel, they live in the steppes and hills. In Central Asia, the Marbled Polecat is found in oases, tugai (river-valley complexes of forest, scrub, and meadow), dunes with sparse bush vegetation, clay steppes, and salt marshes;it is also found in irrigated country, melon patches, and vegetable fields, and sometimes enters buildings to forage. In Kazakhstan, Marbled Polecats are found in shifting dune country containing saxaul (Haloxylon), winter fat (Ewrotia ceratoides), and pea tree, and in salt marshes overgrown in saxaul. Marbled Polecats are also found in wormwood deserts, semi-deserts, and occasionally fescue and needle-grass steppes of the foothills. In north-western China and the Ordos Desert, the Marbled Polecat occurs in forested areas, and in Siberia, it inhabits the western foothills of the Altai and the Cuya steppe.

Food and Feeding. The diet includes small mammals (ground squirrels Spermophilus sp., Gray Dwarf Hamsters Cricetulus migratorius, Libyan Jirds Meriones libycus , mice, voles, and rabbits), birds, reptiles, amphibians, snails, insects, and fruits. In Quetta and Kandahar, rodents, small birds,lizards, snails, and beetles are eaten. In Israel, Marbled Polecats show a high seasonal variability in the diet. During summer, mole crickets (Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa) make up 66% of the diet, whereas in winter, 62% of the diet is rodents, such as voles (Microtus guentheri), House Mice (Mus musculus), Lesser Blind Mole Rats (Spalax leococon ehrenbergi), and Meriones sp. Marbled Polecats may take small poultry. Excess food may be cached for later use. The eyesight of Marbled Polecats is quite weak and they rely principally on a well-developed sense of smell. They have two kinds of killing bites: the first is the penetration of the prey’s body by the canines, and the second is crushing the prey without canine penetration. To kill small vertebrate prey, Marbled Polecats crush the thorax. If the prey struggles, they may pin the prey down with the forepaws and deliver headshakes or follow up by a bite to head or neck. On large prey, such as Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus), a Marbled Polecat bites the nape of the neck and eventually severs the spinal column at the base of the skull. With rats, it bites the throat. Fleeing prey are bitten dorsally, but defending prey are bitten on the head or neck.

Activity patterns. Mainly nocturnal and crepuscular, but sometimes active during the day. Den/rest sites are in burrows of large ground squirrels or other rodents, or they dig their own dens. Marbled Polecats in Central Asia live in tunnel systems dug by the Great Gerbil (Rhombomys opinus). In Baluchistan, they live in burrows dug by the rodents or they may use underground irrigation tunnels. Sleeping chambers are 60-100 cm from the den entrance. In winter, they line the den with grass. When a Marbled Polecat digs, it presses its chin and hindpaws firmly to the ground and removes earth with its forelegs. Obstacles such as roots are pulled out with the teeth.

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Marbled Polecats are good climbers, but feed mainly on the ground. Nightly movements may be up to 1 km. They are solitary except during the breeding season. In Israel, home ranges were 0-5- 0-6 km?; there were some overlaps of ranges and some encounters between individuals, but each animal foraged and rested alone.

Breeding. Mating occurs from March to early June. Pregnant females have been observed in January, February, and May. In Israel, it is estimated that births occur from early February to early March. In Kazakhstan and Central Asia, Marbled Polecats give birth in February or March. Delayed implantation ofthe fertilized eggs into the uterus occurs and the total gestation length is from 243 to 327 days. Littersize is fourto eight. Only the mother cares for the young, which are reared in a nest of grass and leaves within a burrow. The eyes do not open until 40 days, but the young begin eating solid food at 30 days. Weaning occurs at 50-54 days and dispersal occurs at 61-68 days. Females attain adult size and sexual maturity at three months; males reach adult size at five months and sexual maturity at one year.

Status and Conservation. Classified as Vulnerable in The IUCN Red List. The subspecies Vp. peregusna is classified as Vulnerable. The major threat to this speciesis the loss of natural steppe and desert habitats. Steppe habitats are declining in Europe as they are converted to farmland. Secondary poisoning by rodenticides and population declines in key prey species may also be threats. Small numbers of Marbled Polecats are harvested for fur in Pakistan and Lebanon.

Bibliography. Ben-David (1998), Ben-David et al. (1991), Gorsuch & Lariviére (2005), Qumsiyeh (1996), Wozencraft (2005, 2008).

Figures

On following pages: 21. Lesser Grison (Galictis cuja); 22. Greater Grison (Galictis vittata), 23. Marbled Polecat (Vormela peregusna); 24. Saharan Striped Polecat (/ctonyx libycus); 25. Zorilla (Ictonyx striatus); 26. African Striped Weasel (Poecilogale albinucha).

Subspecies and Distribution. V. p. peregusna Giildenstadt, 1770 — Russia . V. p. alpherakii Birula, 1910 — Afghanistan , Iran , Pakistan , Tajikistan , Turkmenistan , and Uzbekistan . V. p. euxina Pocock, 1936 — Bulgaria , Greece , Macedonia , Montenegro , Romania , Serbia , Turkey , and Ukraine . V. p. negans G. S. Miller, 1910 — NC & W China and S Mongolia . V.p. pallidior Stroganov, 1948 — Kazakhstan . V. p. syriaca Pocock, 1936 — Armenia , Azerbaidjan , Egypt , Georgia, Iraq , Israel , Lebanon , and Syria .