Q: Can you explain how ferrets are adapted for life in the wild?
 
Actually, ferrets are *NOT* adapted for life in the wild.  They are adapted
to help humans hunt rodents and rabbits.  There are differences between
ferrets and wild polecats that show a human hand and intent towards that
adaptation.  Because this is such an important subject in legalization
issues (feral fert BS), I'll answer it in three posts.  Part one will be the
adaptations for survival of polecats that ferrets share, the second will be
some of the major differences between the two, and the third wil address
feral issues.
 
Ferrets and polecats share many characteristics, most notably the fur
coloration.  While small differences exist, the sable ferret coloration is
very similar to that of the European polecat, and the cinnamon coloration is
very similar to that of the steppe polecat.  Siamese sables, especially
light chocolates, are strikingly similar to the coloration of the
black-footed ferret.  What this means in layman's terms is, somewhere,
someone has a female cinnamon siamese ferret that is the spitting image of a
black-footed ferret.  It also means coloration is a poor way to distinguish
between ferrets and wild kin.
 
Almost all the other adaptations shared between the polecat and the ferret
are those for a life underground or near the water.  Look between the toes
of your ferret and you will find a webbing that extends to the third bone of
the finger.  When the fingers and feet are spread out, the webbing converts
the paws to duck-like feet.  This is great in swimming, but it is also
useful in digging, allowing lots of dirt to be scooped out of holes.  It is
thought that webbed feet are common to most mustelids, and the common
ancestor was adapted to a semi-aquatic life.  It is thought that those
non-aquatic mustelids (badgers, wolverines) that still have the webbing have
kept it for digging.  Polecats usually live near small streams or marshy
areas, and the webbing is probably more for swimming than for digging, but
useful in both.
 
Both the ferret and the polecat have tiny dark eyes.  Most carnivores that
exploit the dark have rather large eyes, such as in owls, cats or raccoons.
The difference is polecats do not typically hunt in dimly-lit areas, but in
dead-dark areas.  Deep cave dark.  So their eyes are small (but dark to
absorb as much light as possible).  They see in black and white for the most
part, although polecats see better in the blues and reds than ferrets, who
mostly see reds.  The eyes are also slit-like, which is a common adaptation
of burrowing animals to help keep their eyes clean from dirt.
 
Instead of vision, the sense of smell is predominate.  Look square on to a
ferret's face and you see tiny eyes and a huge nose.  Smell is important
because *no* eye can see in dead-dark burrows.  A polecat's nose is so
sensitive it can smell a baby's fart from down the street, and tell what it
ate for lunch.  I assume the ferret's nose is similarly sensitive.
 
The ears are also small and close to the head.  Look close at your ferret
and you will notice a thick tuft of hair and a flap of skin that, if brushed
towards the tail, will cover (or mostly cover) the opening into the ear.
This tuft is thicker in most of the polecat skins I've seen, compared to
ferrets.  The external ears will set flat against the head, out of the way.
Not only is this benefical inside burrows, but also when fighting a large
rabbit.  Unlike in cats or dogs, the ear cannot rotate nor focus sound; the
polecat's best hearing, like in humans, is forward-quite important within
burrows.
 
One of the more popular aspects of a ferret is it is quiet; there are few
loud vocalizations/calls, a trait shared with the polecat.  Why?  Several
reasons; sound doesn't travel far within a burrow, so calls would have to
have a lot of energy to escape the burrow to be heard.  Polecats are also
solitary animals, so vocalizations loose importance.  Finally, the sense of
smell is so predominate, it begins to expand into the communications arena.
Polecats/ferrets probably communicate more by smell than by sound.
 
Short legs are clearly adaptations for a life in burrows, as are long necks
and long bodies.  The closest non-mustelid animal with the polecat/ferret
body shape are the burrowing members of the Viveridae; some mongeese and
merkatts are so similar that they were once mistakenly classed together.
Short legs allow the animal to run through burrows.  The long body gives the
animal speed and power, as well as agility.  The long neck allows heavy prey
to be carried without tripping over it.
 
Most burrowing animals lose their tails, such as in many ground squirrels
moles and gophers.  Also with badgers and the like.  Not with polecats; they
and ferrets have magnificent tails in comparison.  The tail probably serves
three purposes; it helps to help the beastie warm, important in animals that
cannot curl into a ball.  It helps to balance the long neck when running,
and it serves as a olfactory billboard for the fert.  After pooping, ferrets
commonly rub their bottom on the ground to spread their scent.  The tail
drags through the scent, and when the ferret is later excited/scared and
bushy-tailed, the tail is often waved back a forth, wafting the smell
around, doublely important in an animal with few calls.
 
Polecats and ferrets have skeletal adaptations for digging; the third bone
in the finger is long and covered by a large strong nail.  The elbow is
adapted for digging activities.  The head is flat and spade-shaped, and
combined with a strong neck, is quite useful in the excavation of dirt.
 
The reason ferrets share so many traits with polecats is because they
evolved from them.  The ferret evolution was one of domestication, taking
place over thousands of years rather than the millions normally required.
The domesticated ferret is as different from the European polecat as the
wolf is from the dog, and in some areas, even more so.  In the next post I
will discuss how that evolution created differnces between the two species,
and in the third post, will explain how those differences make it extremely
difficult for ferrets to become feral.
 
Bob C and 20 MO Fertcats
[Posted in FML issue 2084]