Jim Wallace <[log in to unmask]> writes:
 
>Now, this does not match any other information I have gleaned from the
>list or other reading (admittedly rather limited).  Is this just a new
>term for European polecats that are raised for fur?  Are they another
>species/race/variety?  What gives?
 
The only thing I think can be said for certain about "fitch" is
that it's the name for the fur and the animals it comes from,
like "nerz" is the name for the fur that comes from the river
polecat M. lutreola. I used to think that fitch =
polecat-ferrets, but after learning that two of my ferrets really
are polecat-ferrets (>=1/16 polecat) I'm no longer as willing to
believe it's that simple.
 
It is more or less clear that those bred to become fur (and
likely medical research animals and so on) are possible but not
very suitable to have as pets, while polecats you find in the
wild almost (but not quite) impossible. Maybe are they just different
strains with different properties of the same species as ferrets.
I don't know yet, but I hope the research to find out the genetic
relationship between ferrets and different polecats will tell us
if their relationship. I've already been surprised by the
preliminary results that showed that ferrets are not very close
relatives to steppe polecats, M. eversmanni.
--
 Urban Fredriksson  [log in to unmask]
 My ferrets are not the mammals the Swedish navy thought were minisubs.
 
[Posted in FML issue 0937]