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MARBLED POLECAT Vormela peregusna
Identification This is a very attractive small carnivore with mottled
brown and buffy-yellow upperparts and blackish-brown underparts.
A distinctive white band across the face above the eyes contrasts with
the largely black to dark brown face. The lip edges are white, as are
the upper parts of the rounded ears. The coat has an overall glossy
sheen. The fairly short, well-haired tail is usually grizzled whitish with
a dark tip. The distinctive coloration and markings are possibly a form
of warning to would-be aggressors that if not left alone the animal
will spray a noxious-smelling substance from its anal glands. Anal
substance spraying is common to many members of the mustelid
family.
Size Total length 45–60 cm.
Weight 370–700 g.
Habitat and Behaviour This is a carnivore of open steppe country
and low rocky hills. Most of its activity takes place at night, but it is
not exclusively nocturnal. It digs its own burrows and will also take
over and modify burrows excavated by other species. Although it
climbs well it does most of its hunting on the ground. Rodents, birds
and reptiles make up the bulk of its prey, but it will also take some
invertebrates. Marbled Polecats are solitary foragers with home
ranges (about half a square kilometre in Israel and Palestine) that
tend to overlap. The mating season in Israel extends from mid-March
to early June, with births 8–11 months later, indicating that delayed
implantation is taking place. One to eight pups per litter have been
recorded.