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The steppe ferret is the largest of those living in the wild. In total, three species of these predatory animals are known: forest, steppe, black-footed. The animal, together with weasels, minks, ermines, belongs to the weasel family. The ferret is a very mobile, nimble animal, which has its own interesting habits and character traits. Acquaintance with them helps to better understand the causes of behavior, the characteristics of the life of the species in the wild.
What does a steppe ferret look like
According to the description, the steppe ferret resembles a black one, but is larger than it. The color of the head of the animal is white. The animal has a body length of up to 56 cm in males, up to 52 cm in females. The tail is up to a third of the body (about 18 cm). The outer hair of the coat is long, but sparse. A thick, light-colored down is visible through it. The color of the coat depends on the place of residence, but the general species features are the same:
- body – light yellow, sandy shade;
- abdomen – dark yellow;
- chest, paws, inguinal region, tail – black;
- muzzle – with a dark mask;
- chin – brown;
- mustache – dark;
- the base and top of the tail are fawn;
- above the eyes are white spots.
Unlike males, the light spots in females are almost white. The head of adults is lighter than at a young age.
The skull of the steppe polecat is heavier than that of the black polecat, strongly flattened behind the eye sockets. The ears of the animal are small, rounded. The eyes are bright, shiny, almost black.
The animal has 30 teeth. Among them – 14 incisors, 12 false-rooted.
The body of a representative of the species is squat, thin, flexible, strong. It helps the predator to penetrate any hole, gap.
The paws are muscular, the claws are powerful. Legs are short and strong. Despite this, steppe ferrets rarely dig holes. To protect against attack, the animal uses the secret of the anal glands with a disgusting smell, which it shoots at the enemy in moments of danger.
The habits and character of the steppe ferrets
The steppe ferret leads a twilight lifestyle. Rarely active during the day. For the nest, he chooses a hill, occupies the minks of hamsters, ground squirrels, marmots. The cramped entrance expands, but leaves the main rest chamber the same. Only in case of urgent need digs a hole itself. Housing is located near rocks, in tall grass, tree hollows, old ruins, under roots.
The ferret swims well, knows how to dive. It rarely climbs trees. On the ground it moves in jumps (up to 70 cm). Deftly jumps from a great height, has a sharp ear.
The steppe ferret is a loner. He leads this way of life until the marriage period. The animal has its own territory for living and hunting. Although its boundaries are not clearly defined, fights between neighboring individuals are rare. With a large number of animals in one territory, a certain hierarchy is established. But she is not stable.
The steppe polecat flees from a serious enemy. If it is impossible to escape, the animal releases a fetid liquid from the glands. The enemy is confused, the animal leaves the pursuit.
Where does it live in the wild
The steppe ferret settles in small forests, groves with clearings, meadows, steppes, wastelands, pastures. He does not like large taiga massifs. The hunting place of the animal is the edge of the forest. You can meet a predator near reservoirs, rivers, lakes. He also settles in the park.
The way of life of the steppe ferret is sedentary, it is attached to one place, to a small territory. For shelter, he uses deadwood piles, haystacks, old stumps. It rarely settles next to a person in sheds, attics, in the cellar.
Its habitat extends to plains, highlands, mountainous terrain. The steppe ferret can be seen in alpine meadows, at an altitude of 3000 m above sea level.
A large predator population inhabits the west, center and east of Europe: Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Austria, Ukraine, Poland, and the Czech Republic. There is an animal in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China. In the United States, the steppe polecat is found on the prairie, east of the Rocky Mountains.
The wide distribution area is explained by several features of the predator:
- the ability to store food for future use;
- the ability to change the diet;
- the ability to repulse enemies;
- the presence of fur that protects against hypothermia and overheating.
Where does the steppe ferret live in Our Country
The steppe polecat on the territory of Our Country is distributed in the steppes and the forest-steppe zone. On the territory of the Rostov region, Crimea, Stavropol, the population has greatly decreased in recent years. The animal lives in the territory from Transbaikalia to the Far East. Able to live in the mountains at an altitude of 2600 m. The area of the range in the Altai Territory is 45000 square meters. km.
In the Far East, a subspecies of the steppe ferret, the Amur, is widespread, whose habitat is the Zeya, Selemzha, and Bureya rivers. The species is on the verge of extinction. Since 1996, it has been listed in the Red Book.
What does the steppe ferret eat
The steppe ferret is a predator, the basis of its nutrition is animal food. He is indifferent to the plant.
The diet of the animal is varied, depending on the place of residence at the moment. In the steppes, ground squirrels, jerboas, lizards, field mice, and hamsters become its prey.
The steppe ferret hunts gophers on the ground, creeping up to them quietly, like a cat, or digging their holes. First of all, the animal eats the brain of a gopher. Fat, skin, legs and entrails he does not eat.
In summer, snakes can become his food. The steppe ferret does not disdain large locusts.
The animal swims remarkably. If the habitat is located near water bodies, then hunting for birds, water voles, frogs, and other amphibians is not excluded.
The steppe ferret loves to bury food in reserve, but often forgets about hiding places, and they remain unclaimed.
Accusations against predators about their attacks on poultry and small animals are greatly exaggerated. The damage attributed to this predator is more often actually caused to humans by foxes, weasels, and martens.
The volume of food eaten per day by the steppe ferret is 1/3 of its weight.
Features of reproduction
The mating season for steppe ferrets falls on the end of February-beginning of March. Animals reach puberty at one year of age. Before mating, the female seeks shelter for herself. The animals have no desire to dig a hole on their own, more often they kill gophers and occupy their dwelling. Having expanded the passage into the hole to 12 cm, they leave the main chamber in its original form, warming it with leaves and grass before giving birth.
Unlike forest ferrets, steppe ferrets create persistent pairs. Their mating games look aggressive. The male bites, drags the female by the withers, injuring her.
The females are fertile. After 40 days of gestation, from 7 to 18 blind, deaf, naked and helpless cubs are born. The weight of each is 5 – 10 g. The eyes of the puppies open after a month.
At first, the females do not leave the nest, feeding the young with milk. The male at this moment is engaged in hunting and brings prey to his chosen one. Starting from five weeks, the mother starts feeding the puppies with meat. The brood goes to the first hunt at the age of three months. After training, young people become adults, independent and leave the family in search of their territory.
During the season, a couple may have up to 3 broods. Sometimes puppies die. In this case, the female is ready to mate in 1-3 weeks.
survival in the wild
Steppe ferrets in the wild do not have many enemies. These include foxes, wolves, wild dogs. Large birds of prey, hawks, falcons, owls, eagles, can hunt animals.
The steppe ferret has good physical characteristics, which allows him to hide from the claws of enemies. The animal is able to knock foxes and other predators off the trail if it uses odorous secretions from the glands. The enemy is confused by this, which gives them time to escape.
In the wild, ferrets often die in infancy from diseases and predators. The ability of females to bring several litters a year makes up for losses.
The average life expectancy of the steppe ferret in natural conditions is 4 years.
Landfills and buildings created by man are a huge danger to animals. He cannot adapt to such conditions and dies, falling into technical pipes, suffocating in them.
Why the steppe ferret is listed in the Red Book
Experts say that the population of the steppe ferret is constantly declining, in some regions the species is on the verge of extinction.
Despite its small number, until recently, the animal was used for industrial purposes for the manufacture of various kinds of clothing. The development of the steppe and forest-steppe by man leads to the fact that the polecat leaves its usual habitat and moves to places that are unusual for it. The territory of residence is narrowing as a result of deforestation, an increase in the area of arable land.
Animals die from diseases – rabies, plague, scriabingylosis. The number of ferrets is also declining due to a decrease in the population of ground squirrels, the main food of the predator.
The steppe ferret brings great benefits to agriculture, exterminating harmful rodents. In areas where field cultivation is developed, hunting for it has long been prohibited.
As a result of the reduction in the number of individuals, the steppe polecat was listed in the International Red Book.
To increase the population, protected areas are being created, bans on the use of traps have been introduced – to prevent even the accidental killing of the steppe ferret. Zoologists are engaged in animal breeding.
Interesting Facts
The habits of the wild steppe ferret and living in the house have been studied by people for many centuries. Some facts of his life are interesting:
- the animal makes stocks in large volumes: for example, 30 dead ground squirrels were found in one hole, and 50 in another;
- in captivity, the animal’s hunting instinct disappears, which makes it possible to keep it as a pet;
- steppe ferrets, unlike forest ferrets, keep family ties;
- animals do not show aggression towards their relatives;
- sleep up to 20 hours a day;
- a newly born puppy can fit in the palm of a two-year-old child;
- the predator does not have an innate fear of people;
- the black-footed ferret gets along problematic;
- the poor eyesight of the animal is compensated by smell and hearing;
- the normal heart rate of a predator is 250 beats per minute;
- the ferret serves as a mascot for American sailors.
Conclusion
The steppe ferret is not just a funny fluffy animal. He has been living next to a man for a long time. In Medieval Europe, he replaced cats, today the animal helps protect the fields from the attacks of harmful rodents. The number of its population is declining everywhere, and therefore it is necessary to continue to take measures to restore the species in its natural habitats.
