Hi all--
   Yesterday I was at the library, doing research for a prof on whether
monkeys have menopause (and yes, some do, hot flashes and all), and since I
am rarely in the Natural Science library I thought, hey, bet they've got
books on weasels here!  Indeed they did, although not enough.  I did find a
reference in Walker's Mammals of the World stating that the domestic ferret
was domesticated as early as the fourth century B.C.  If anybody wants a
full reference, I can provide it.  One thing that really struck me as I
looked at other mustellids is that my big old Canadian ferret Amelia looked
much more like the pictures of polecats, especially the Siberian or steppe
polecats, than she did like the pictures of domestic ferrets.  The central
part of a Siberian polecat's mask is slid halfway down its face, which
Amelia's is also, and overall body type and fur (both markings and density)
were much like my Amelia.  I remember somebody speculating here a while
back that perhaps the Canadian ferrets were originally fitch hybrids meant
for the fur industry, and after seeing these photos, I can believe it.  I
also found a lot of interesting behavioral information-- while I keep
firmly in mind that the domestic ferret is its own species with its own
quirks and behaviors, there were still a lot of traits that I recognized in
discussions of general mustellid behavior.  So if the lack of ferret books
dismays you, try reading up on mustellids in general!
 
The only reason that ferret guardians' houses are neater is that the
ferrets have hidden everything under the sofa.
 
Regina and Amelia of the steppes-- well, the front steppes anyway
[Posted in FML issue 1301]