The following question was asked some time ago and I held it off because
I've answered several variations of it recently.  However, a recent paper
has provided new ammunition for an old argument; one that I am sure the
CaCaLand Fishing Gestapo will hate to hear.
 
Q:"Are ferrets Mustela putorius or Mustela furo?  I can't seem to get a
clear answer from my books because they seem to always disagree."
 
A: I love to hear books argue; my library is always almost out of hand, and
you should hear the dim from my file cabinets.
 
The quest for the ancestor of the domesticated ferret has always been one
of uncertain research.  One group says it was domesticated from the steppe
polecat (Mustela eversmanni), while others claim descent from the European
polecat (Mustela putorius).  Before the use of genetic studies, the
hands-down favorite was the steppe polecat, based on cerain features of
the skull and teeth.  After a few studies of ferret DNA--those of a
morphological and numerical nature for the most part--the favorite became
the European polecat, and dutiful scientists stopped using Mustela furo as
the scientific binomial for the ferret, and started using Mustela putorius
furo.  Other studies, this time testing differences within the DNA, tended
to support the idea that the European polecat was the wild ancestor of the
domesticated ferret.  Although I had reservations, and have expressed them
many times on this forum, I would reluctantly agree the European polecat
was the best possible choice as ancestor.
 
One thing has always been clear; the polecat group as a whole is every
closely related.  European polecats can hybridize with steppe polecats who
can hybridize with black-footed ferrets.  The European mink can hybridize
with both the European polecat and the steppe polecat.  The domesticated
ferret has been shown to be able to hybridize with both polecats and the
European mink.  I know of no study that proves the domesticated ferrets, or
the European polecat and mink can hybridize with the black-footed ferret.
 
A recent paper (A. Davison et al "Hybridization and the phylogenetic
relationship between polecats and domestic ferrets in Britain" 1999
Biological Conservation 87:155-161) not only supports the conclusion that
the polecat group is very closely related--perhaps even only one or two
species--but also that the domesticated ferret ancestry is *still* unknown.
Yes, that's right.  Because the relationship between the European and
steppe polecat is so close, it is not yet proven that the domesticated
ferret has either one as a clear ancestor.
 
What this means is that, without evidence of one species or the other being
the wild ancestor, we must return to the practice of using "Mustela furo"
as the appropriate binomial, which is exactly the practice used in the
paper.  Now, *ANYONE* wishing to dispute the claim that ferrets are the
same as the polecat can cite this paper as evidence that ferrets are 1)
domesticated, 2) has an unknown wild ancestor.
 
Some highlights from the paper are 1) all members of the polecat group
(Mustela furo, M. putorius, M. eversmanni, M. lutreola and M. nigripes)
are of recent evolutionary origin.  2) The domesticated ferret has an
obscure origin.  3) The European mink and the black-footed ferret are very
recent splits off the polecat line.  4) The European and steppe polecat
could possibly be a single species, which could even include the European
mink and the black-footed ferret.  Of course, these highlights do not
reflect the true thrust of the paper, but are more suited to interests of
the FML membership.
 
From a critical point of view, I found a few errors (a reference to the
Old Testament, for example).  I am not qualified to catch errors in the
genetics discussion, so cannot comment on that aspect but suppose it is
basically ok (having been published in a peer-reviewed journal).  Still,
I feel the paper is sound, and from our perspective, quite important.  I
highly recommend people interested in the paper run down to a university
library and photocopy the paper for their reference files.  Then, when the
CaCaLand Fishing Gestapo (or local impersonator) claims they are the
European polecat and wild, whip it out and smack them in the face with it.
I would suggest rolling it into a tube and force feeding them it using
reverse flow techniques, but didn't want to bowel anyone over.
 
Bob C and 20 Mo' Mustelids of Obscure Origin
[Posted in FML issue 2569]