Ferret wild (ordinary): photo, what is dangerous

The forest ferret is a carnivorous mammal. He is kept as a pet. The animal gets used to the person, shows activity, friendliness, playfulness. But it is worth remembering that a wild ferret is a predator that behaves appropriately during danger: it uses teeth, anal gland fluid with a strong odor.

Knowledge of habits, feeding habits, habitat, helps to better understand the behavior and nature of the predator.

What does a wild ferret look like?

The forest, black or common ferret belongs to the mustelid family, a detachment of predatory mammals.

The appearance of the animal does not differ from relatives in the family, but there are individual features:

1. Color. The main color is brown-black. Paws, back, tail, muzzle are dark. On the ears, chin, on the forehead – white marks. The coat of the belly, the sides is lighter. In winter, the color of the animal is brighter and darker than summer. Color options for the black ferret are red and albinos.
2. Wool. The fur of the animal is shiny, long (6 cm), not thick. Summer – dull, rare, winter – fluffy, black.

   

3. Head. Oval in shape, flattened on the sides, smoothly turning into a flexible long neck.
4. Ears. The base is wide, the height is medium, the ends are rounded.
5. Eyes. Brown, small, shiny.
6. Body. The body of a forest animal is flexible, elongated, 40 cm long, movable, allowing it to penetrate into narrow cracks and burrows.
7. Paws. The limbs of a wild ferret are short, thick (6 cm), which do not interfere with rapid movement. Paws with five fingers, sharp claws, small webs. Strong limbs allow the animal to dig the ground.
8. Tail. Fluffy, is ¼ of the predator’s length.
9. The weight. The rate varies depending on the time of year. The maximum weight of the forest ferret is in autumn. At this time, animals gain weight, storing fat for the winter. Males weigh 2 kg, females – 1 kg.

In numerous photos of a wild ferret, you can see animals with different shades of fur, sizes. Characteristics, basic standards are the same for all predators.

Habits of forest ferrets

When describing the forest ferret, the isolation of the life of the animal is noted. Communication with relatives occurs during mating.

A forest animal has a personal area of ​​residence, hunting. The area of ​​​​the territory reaches 2,5 hectares, in females – less. Possessions intersect, spread to the territories of other males. The stranger learns that the area is occupied by the marks left by the forest ferret.

The animal equips the house in a secluded place, in a pile of branches, under an old stump. The predator pulls out a mink with a short hole, makes a nest for rest. If a ferret is scared away by a person or forest animals, he is looking for a new home.

During the day, the predator sleeps, at night it goes hunting. In the absence of food, it is removed over long distances. In bad weather, he sits in a hole for days.

The forest animal, which did not have time to return home with the onset of dawn, hides until dusk in badger, hare, or burrows previously dug by him.

The wild forest ferret is fearless and aggressive. Meeting with a large predator does not stop him. He boldly rushes into battle.

The predator is ruthless to victims. Once in the chicken coop and eating one chicken, the rest will suffocate. Under natural conditions, the animal acts similarly.

Where does the ferret live in nature

The forest wild ferret equips housing in a clearing, edge or in sparse vegetation. The place is usually located near rivers, lakes, reservoirs. The lifestyle of a predator is sedentary. He is attached to a specific place, equips a mink with enviable thoroughness. The forest ferret drags leaves, grass into the “bedroom”, rolls a hollow ball with a diameter of 25 cm, where it sleeps. If it gets hot, the animal removes the nest from the hole, and with the onset of a cold, the animal increases the litter.

In winter, when it is difficult to get food, a forest predator settles closer to a person: in cellars, attics, haystacks, sheds. In such places, he hunts rats, rabbits, chickens.

Where does the ferret live in Our Country

The forest ferret lives on the territory of Eurasia. The main part of the population is located in the European part of the Federation – from the Urals to the western borders of the country. The animal does not live in North Karelia, in the Caucasus, the Volga region. The population of an animal depends on the availability of food for it. There is a large population of individuals living on the territory of the Smolensk region.

Black ferret population

In addition to the territory of Our Country, the forest ferret lives in England. The British raptor population is large. The animal settled in Finland, in northwestern Africa.

The predator was brought to New Zealand to fight rats and mice. Soon he took root in a new place, began to threaten the destruction of the indigenous representatives of the New Zealand fauna.

It is difficult to take photos and videos of a ferret in nature: the population is constantly declining. The predator has strong beautiful fur, due to the production of which mass destruction led to a critical decrease in the number of individuals. Today, the forest polecat is listed in the Red Book, hunting for it is prohibited.

What do ferrets eat in the wild?

In the wild, the ferret eats animal food, while plant food is of little interest to him.

The predator is agile, shrews, mice, moles and other rodents easily become its prey.

The animal loves to eat frogs, newts, lizards. Prefers the meat of hedgehogs, easily copes with a prickly opponent. Does not disdain snakes, even poisonous ones.

The forest ferret destroys nests, eats eggs, destroys birds.

It is within the power of the animal to catch a muskrat or a hare. The ability to silently sneak up helps the predator to hunt upland game. Keeps animals and insects out.

In the village, it enters chicken coops, goose houses, where it eats and strangles poultry. The beast is able to make reserves for the winter, putting the prey in a secluded place.

A photo of a wild ferret that eats fish can only be taken at home: in natural conditions, it is difficult for an animal to catch it.

The gastrointestinal tract of a predator is not able to digest fruits, berries, grass, it rarely uses vegetation. It makes up for the lack of fiber by eating the contents of the stomachs of killed herbivores.

In the warm season, there is no shortage of food. Since September, the forest ferret has been intensively storing fats. In winter, it is more difficult for him to get food, he has to tear up the snow, catch mice, attack hazel grouse and black grouse that have spent the night in snowdrifts.

When there is no food, the animal does not disdain carrion and waste thrown out by man.

Competition between individuals is not developed, since strong males prey on large prey, and weaker predators on small prey.

Features of reproduction

Wild ferrets become sexually mature at the age of one. Until spring, he lives apart, as a hermit. In April-May, in the second half of June, the rut begins. Forest predators do not perform special mating rituals. Males, mating, behave aggressively. The female has teeth marks on her neck and a frayed withers. Gestation lasts 40 days, after which 4 to 12 cubs are born, weighing 10 g. Ferrets are born blind and helpless. Grow and develop quickly. They begin to see clearly by a month, for seven weeks the mother feeds them with milk, then gradually transfers them to meat. Three months later, with the whole brood, together with the mother, young predators go hunting, helping her and learning all the tricks. At this point, the females desperately protect the brood from danger. Young people stay in the family until autumn. It is easy to distinguish the young from the parent by the juvenile “mane”, long hair on the nape.

In autumn, young individuals grow to the size of adults, reaching a weight of 2,5 kg. By winter, the animals grow up to half a meter in length. From this time on, independent life begins for predators.

Enemies of wild ferrets

In the habitats of the forest ferret live large, strong predators that can harm or eat it.

In open areas, the animal has nowhere to hide from the wolf, which can easily catch up. Foxes often attack a wild ferret in winter, during a hungry season, when mice cannot be obtained, and it is difficult to catch hares.

Birds of prey – eagle owls, owls, are ready to grab him at night. During the day, falcons and golden eagles hunt for animals.

They leave no chance for the ferret to live as a lynx. When a forest predator moves closer to human habitation, dogs pose a threat.

Civilization harms the population. By developing territories, cutting down forests, laying roads, people force the animal to leave its familiar environment. Uncontrolled hunting leads to a reduction in the population of small animals that are food for ferrets, and then the animal leaves its habitat. Many animals fall under the wheels of vehicles. The number of predators is also reduced due to the hunt for valuable skins.

The average life expectancy of animals in nature is 5 years. A domesticated forest ferret, with proper care, lives for 12 years.

Despite the swiftness of the animal, a person who decides to make a video of a wild ferret can catch up with him. At the same time, one must remember the behavior of even a pet in a moment of danger. It is easy to get a fetid stream from the anal glands of a predator in the face.

Interesting facts about forest ferrets

The forest ferret today has become a pet: along with cats and dogs, it lives near people. There are many interesting facts associated with it:

• the animals were domesticated 2000 years ago, they were used to hunt rabbits;

  

• translated from Latin, the word ferret means “thief”;
• the animal’s heart rate is 240 beats per minute;
• a sensitive sense of smell and keen hearing compensate for the poor eyesight of a predator;
• the forest ferret sleeps up to 20 hours a day, it is difficult to wake him up;
• animals run equally skillfully both in the usual way and backwards;
• domestic and wild ferrets do not live in peace and harmony;
• in an hour, a forest animal is able to dig a hole 5 meters deep;
• it can penetrate into any gap thanks to the flexible spine;
• at home, predators can sleep in a small box;
• a wild ferret, when attacked, performs a combat dance – jumps, puffs out its tail, bends its back, hisses;

  

• a newborn baby fits in a teaspoon;
• the percentage of albinos is large, animals have red eyes;
• forest ferrets can swim, but do not like to do it;
• in New York and California it is forbidden to keep them at home: escaped individuals are able to damage the environment by forming colonies;
• In 2000, a ten-day-old girl in Wisconsin was attacked by domestic ferrets and was rescued by a dog. It is believed that babies smell like milk, predators see them as an object of prey;
• the neck muscles of animals are so strongly developed that a small forest animal is able to drag a rabbit;
• the flexibility of the body of a wild ferret, the ability to penetrate into any gap was used in the construction of Boeing and the hadron collider, the animals stretched wires in hard-to-reach places;
• Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady with an Ermine actually depicts an albino ferret.

Conclusion

The forest ferret has long ceased to be only a wild animal. He lives next to a person, with proper care he brings offspring. When socialized at an early age, he likes contact with people to whom he gets used to in the future.

The forest ferret is a bright representative of wildlife, which is its decoration. It is necessary to preserve the animal population so that the species does not disappear from the face of the earth without the possibility of restoration.

If the animal is wild, it is difficult to take a photo of a ferret, but this is not the most important thing. Enough shooting at home. Wild animals must remain so.