Q: I was looking at the photos of the blackfoot ferret and wondered if our ferret was domesticated from it? They look a lot alike . A: I have the same problem I look a lot like a dweeb, but I am not of the dweeb species. I am a nerd and proud of it. I ll give you the answer in two versions: short and long. You may not like it, but you probably don t like potato chips on bologna sandwiches either, and I do. ;-p There are four species of polecats: the European polecat (Mustela putorius), the steppe polecat (M. eversmannii), the black-footed ferret (M. nigripes), and the domesticated ferret (M. furo). Ok, maybe five: modern studies suggest the European mink (M. lutreola) may be a polecat, but we will ignore that issue for this discussion. Together, they form the subgenus Putorius within the Mustela. At this point in time, the four are considered distinct, extremely closely related species. No one knows for sure if the ferret was domesticated from the European or steppe polecat or both, but it is fairly apparent the black-footed ferret was not part of the process. In short, the BBF and the ferret look a lot alike because they are so closely related, however, the ferret was not domesticated from the BBF. Catch your breath, cause here is the longer version. Current genetics work cannot distinguish which polecat was the ancestor of the ferret. Part of this is because of the habit of introgression, the hybridization of ferrets with polecats to improve hunting or pelt qualities. This has been going on for centuries (maybe millennia), probably with both types of polecats, and it has so confused the genetics that the true progenitor may never be discovered. It is possible the ferret was domesticated from the steppe polecat, but years of introgression to the European polecat have confused the issue. It is possible the ferret was domesticated from the European polecat, but introgression to the steppe polecat has obscured things. It is possible the ferret was domesticated from both polecats, and when interbred at a later time the origins were befuddled. It is also possible the steppe polecat had no involvement and it is just the close relationship to the European polecat that is mystifying the genetics. We may never know the wild ancestor of the ferret, at least with current technology. This is why the correct scientific name for the domesticated ferret is Mustela furo. The ferret is certainly a polecat, but which one? Which brings up another point. What is the correct number of species of polecat? If you exclude domesticated species, are there three polecats (BBF, European, steppe)? If you include the European mink, are there four? If you listen to listen to paleobiologists and geneticists who suggest the BBF is only a subspecies of the steppe polecat, are there only two species, three with the European mink? The chromosomal differences (karyotype) between the polecats are not in the genome (genetic differences), but in the number of chromosomes; M. putorius and M. lutreola are 2n=40, M. eversmannii and M. nigripes are 2n=38. The difference in number is caused by a single Robertsonian rearrangement, which (simplistically) means the chromosomes have been shuffled a little, but there is no real difference in the genetic information. All these species can breed and produce viable, fertile offspring. What if the genetics work suggests the European mink is a subspecies of the European polecat, the BBF is a subspecies of the steppe polecat, and both polecats, despite a minor difference in karyotype, are a single worldwide (Holarctic) species? If that were actually the case, then the polecats would be a single species and would collectively represent the ancestor of the domesticated ferret. If that scenario ever turns out to be true (and it might!), it would be a nightmare for the CaCaLand Fishing Gestapo. It would mean the domesticated ferret and the black-footed ferret were the same species. Can you imagine the residents of California suing the CFG to get federal protection for their floor monkeys because of the endangered species act? Bob C Communications? [log in to unmask] Questions? [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 4566]