Polecat
Index of animals with the same common name
Polecat is a common name for several cat-like mustelid species in the subfamilies Ictonychinae and Mustelinae. Polecats do not form a single taxonomic rank (i.e. clade). The name is applied to several species with broad similarities to European polecats, such as having a dark mask-like marking across the face.
In the United States, the term polecat is sometimes applied to the black-footed ferret, a native member of the Mustelinae. In Southern United States dialect, the term polecat is sometimes used as a colloquial nickname for the skunk, which is part of the family Mephitidae.
01Greek mythology
The polecat, in accordance with Greek mythology, is one of the symbols that represents Hekate along with two torches.
It represents Hekate for two reasons, one being that Galinthias, the nurse of Alkmene was turned into a polecat and Hekate took pity on her. The other reason is that Gale the Witch was turned into a polecat as punishment by Hekate.
02Taxonomy
According to the most recent taxonomic scheme proposing eight subfamilies within Mustelidae, polecats are classified as:
Subfamily Ictonychinae
- Genus Ictonyx
- Striped polecat, I. striatus, (native to Central, Southern, and sub-Saharan Africa)
- Saharan striped polecat, I. libycus (Sahara)
- Genus Vormela
- Marbled polecat, V. peregusna (Southeastern Europe to western China)
Subfamily Mustelinae
- Genus Mustela
- Steppe polecat, M. eversmannii (Central and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia)
- American polecat (Black-footed ferret) M. nigripes (Southwest United States)
- European polecat, M. putorius (Western Eurasia and North Africa)
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Polecat”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Polecat in denmark.jpg by Ilder.jpg: User:Malene / *derivative work: Mariomassone (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
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