Marbled polecat
Vormela peregusna
xiangrongyan · Xinjiang Uygur
Key facts in one look
- Size
- 27–35 cm body, 295–715 g
- Diet
- Predator, mainly rodents
- Status in Georgia
- Resident, declining
- Habitat
- Dry steppe and semi-desert, up to 2,100 m
- Family
- Mustelidae
- Conservation
- VU (global) / VU (Georgia)
The marbled polecat is a small mustelid with reddish-brown blotches on a yellow back and a black-and-white mask on its face. When alarmed, it arches its back, throws its bushy tail over it and releases a foul-smelling fluid from glands under the tail. It is an animal of dry country, and in Georgia it has been recorded around Aspindza, Akhalkalaki, Gori, Mtskheta and Telavi. It is rated Vulnerable both globally and in Georgia, and its numbers are still falling. If you see such a mottled animal on the steppe, watch from a distance and do not try to catch it.
Identification
Marbled polecat: how to identify it
The marbled polecat is a small, long-bodied, short-legged predator with a short muzzle and very large ears. It is easiest to recognise by its mottled back and black-and-white face. The belly and legs are dark, almost black. When alarmed, it lays its tail over its back and fluffs the fur, and in this pose it is hard to mistake.
Head and body length is 27–35 cm and the tail 12–21 cm, so the tail is more than half the body length. Females weigh 295–600 g and males 320–715 g, so males are only slightly larger. The legs are short, and the claws long and strong, made for digging.
The face is black and white: a black band runs across the eyes, the area around the mouth is white, and a broad white band runs from the ears towards the eyes. The ears are very large, with black bases and white edges, and show well from a distance. This "mask" is one of its best field marks.
The back and flanks are yellow or brownish-yellow with irregular reddish and brown blotches, like marble. The belly and legs are dark brown or black. The tail is long and bushy, dark, with a yellowish band in the middle and a black tip. A mottled yellow back together with a black belly is its main field mark.
The marbled polecat is an animal of open, dry country. It lives in steppe, semi-desert and desert, on stony slopes in the foothills and in dry scrub. It avoids high mountains, although it has been seen in vegetable plots and melon fields. Its range stretches from the Balkans through the Caucasus, the Middle East and Central Asia to northern China and southern Mongolia. In Georgia it has been recorded around Aspindza, Akhalkalaki, Gori, Mtskheta and Telavi, and it goes up to 2,100 m above sea level. In 2018 it was recorded in Samtskhe-Javakheti. It rests in a burrow during the day. Sometimes it digs its own, but more often it moves into abandoned rodent burrows, and in winter it lines its den with grass.
The marbled polecat is a predator and feeds mainly on rodents: ground squirrels, voles, mice, mole-rats and other small burrowing animals. It often chases its prey right into the burrow. It also eats birds, lizards, frogs, fish, snails and insects such as beetles and crickets. It adds berries and grass to its diet. Near people it takes chickens and pigeons, and sometimes steals smoked meat and cheese.
The marbled polecat is most active in the morning and evening. Its eyesight is weak, but its sense of smell is well developed. It is solitary and ranges over 0.5–0.6 km². It usually uses a shelter only once, and when two animals meet they are often aggressive. When digging a burrow, it throws out earth with its forelegs while bracing itself on its chin and hind legs. It pulls out roots with its teeth. Mating runs from March to early June. Gestation is long and variable, 243–327 days, because the embryo implants in the womb with a delay. Thanks to this, the young are born from late January to mid-March, when food is plentiful. A litter has 4–8 young, and only the mother cares for them. They open their eyes at 38–40 days, are weaned at 50–54 days and leave their mother at 61–68 days.
Globally the marbled polecat is Vulnerable (VU, 2016). In 1996 it was not considered threatened, but since 2008 it has been rated Vulnerable because its numbers fell by at least 30% over ten years. The main causes are the conversion of steppe and the loss of its prey to rodent poisons. Georgia's 2014 Red List lists the marbled polecat as Endangered (EN) because its range has shrunk. A 2021 national assessment rates it Vulnerable (VU), and its numbers are still declining.
Related guides
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Yes. In Georgia it has been recorded around Aspindza, Akhalkalaki, Gori, Mtskheta and Telavi, and in 2018 it was recorded in Samtskhe-Javakheti. It prefers dry, open ground and goes up to 2,100 m above sea level. The subspecies living here is the western one, V. p. peregusna.
It is a small, short-legged mustelid, 27–35 cm long. Its back is yellow with reddish-brown blotches, its belly and legs are dark, and its face is black and white. The ears are very large and the tail long and bushy. With a mottled yellow back and a black belly, you will hardly mistake it for another animal.
No, if you leave it alone. When alarmed, it lays its tail over its back, bares its teeth and hisses, and if threatened it releases a foul-smelling fluid from glands under the tail. This is defence, not attack. Watch from a distance and do not try to catch it.
Mainly rodents: ground squirrels, voles, mice and mole-rats, which it often chases right into their burrows. It also eats birds, lizards, frogs, insects, berries and grass. In villages it may also go after chickens and pigeons.
Yes, it can. It takes chickens and pigeons, and sometimes steals smoked meat and cheese. It is most active in the morning and evening. At night and at dusk, keep your poultry in a closed coop.
Yes. Globally it is Vulnerable (VU, 2016). Georgia's 2014 Red List lists it as Endangered (EN), and a 2021 national assessment rates it Vulnerable (VU). Its numbers are falling, mainly because of steppe conversion and the loss of its prey.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
