Actually Chris, there is some evidence, mostly circumstantial, that the Domestic Ferret was not derived form the European Polecat (perhaps crossbred at a later date). I wish I had my references (did a real no-no and loaned out my only copies) so I could verify this, but I'll go on best memory. The Domestic Ferret has a larger forebrain and skull than the English Polecat. The E.P. is able to locate objects in space by sound; the D.F is not. (Click something near an E.P. and it will wheel around and face the sound; while the D.F. will be attracted by the sound but have difficulty locating it.) The E.P. can see in (I believe it's) in three colors; the D.F. can only distinguish one (red.) There are significant differences in the eyes and their ability to see in 3-D up close. I was led to understand the the number of chromosomes differ in the E.P. and the D.F. (but for this I'd have to look at the original reference.) And, I believe, that the breeding cycles differ significantly (the E.P. female will go out of heat if not bred). I think there were several more differences, but I just can't remember them. I wish I had the references at hand, but I remember thinking while reading the list, that it would be unlikely for human breeders to have purposely selected these traits to pass on to offspring. It seemed more likely that these differences were the result of differentiation during a long period of isolation. Remember that the fact that they can interbreed does not mean that they are the same species. Also, and I look to experts to verify this one, the Red-Eyed White and the Albino are not the same "color". There is a difference in the pigmentation of the eyes. The true albino has no pigment. The Red-Eyed White does, and some believe that this represents something closer to the "original" line of the North African Mustela from which the Domestic Ferret was developed. The theory goes that this Red-Eyed White was later cross- bred with the European Polecat (and perhaps other Mustela) to develop the many colors that we have today. Sort of like the Wolf-Hybrid that is becoming popular in some sections of the U.S. There was a theory for a while that the DF might have originated from the Siberian Stepp Polecat, but recent genetic testing disproved this. Dick B. - hoping I didn't mis-remember too much [_Please_ find your sources, and type up a summary. And include the references!] [Posted in FML issue 0965]