Wild and decorative ferrets: photos and descriptions of existing breeds

Many are deceived by what a ferret looks like: a cute and funny animal in the wild is a formidable and agile predator. And, despite its small size, it can be quite dangerous. There are many varieties of this animal, which classification with photographs of the main breeds and varieties will help to understand.

Description of ferrets

These agile, fast, predatory mammals are found throughout Asia, Europe, and North America. They are distributed everywhere: from the steppe, forests, mountains, and also near human habitation. The basis of the trochee diet is made up of birds and bird eggs, rats, mice, ground squirrels, snakes, and there are also cases of destructive raids of small predators on chicken coops and rabbit houses. Therefore, wild ferrets are not particularly loved by farmers. Below is a photo of a ferret that defeated a larger animal without much difficulty:

However, if the hunt was unsuccessful and it was not possible to catch worthy prey, the ferret is content with grasshoppers, snails, fruits, and is even able to dive into a pond for fish.

All ferrets, regardless of breed, hunt at night, so they have a very well-developed sense of smell and hearing. They prefer to eat only freshly caught prey: only the impossibility of hunting (illness or damage to the limbs) can force the animal to eat carrion.

What do they look like

According to the description, the ferret is a small animal, very flexible and incredibly graceful. The length of his body is 42-45 cm in a female, males grow up to 50-60 cm, while a significant part of the length is a fluffy tail (up to 18 cm). The animal has muscular, disproportionately short legs in relation to the body (hind – within 6 – 8 cm), on which it moves in jumps. Thanks to its elongated claws and powerful muscles, this predator is considered a good swimmer and easily climbs trees in search of prey.

The head of the ferret is oval, with a slightly elongated muzzle, flattened on the sides, the color of the fur on which forms a pattern resembling a mask. The ears of the animal are small, low, with a wide base, the eyes are also small, shiny, most often brown.

Features of the appearance of the ferret are the same for all species, the differences are in the color of the fur, size and body weight. Depending on the breed, the weight of an adult ferret varies from 0.3 to 2.0 kg.

What do baby ferrets look like?

Ferret cubs – puppies are born a month and a half after conception, helpless, almost bald and blind. At first, they require the constant attention of the mother, but quickly develop and after two months they begin to eat meat little by little.

In one litter, from 4 to 12 cubs are usually born.

What species and family does the ferret belong to?

This amazing mammal belongs to the genus of weasels and ferrets and is a representative of the Mustelidae family: just like a marten or mink. The similarity between the representatives of the family is so great that, for example, with a mink, a ferret can even have a joint offspring, called honoriki.

Types and breeds of ferrets with photos and names

All types of decorative ferrets originated from one breed, namely, from the Forest polecat, which man tamed over 2000 years ago. Unlike its ancestor, the domestic ferret has a larger body size, and is also represented by a huge variety in fur color: from black to white. The forest ferret is always dark brown in color. The maximum body weight in the wild species rarely exceeds 1,6 kg, while the decorative ferret, in general, grows up to 2,5, and sometimes even up to 3,5 kg.

Breeds of wild ferrets

Wild ferrets are classified into three main breeds:

• Forest ferret (Mustela putorius);
• Light steppe polecat (Mustela eversmanni);
• Black-footed or American ferret (Mustela nigripes).

Forest. It has brown or black fur with lighter underfur. The paws and belly are darker in comparison with the body, there is a mask on the muzzle. An adult grows up to 47 cm and reaches a mass of 1,6 kg. The animal lives in Western and Eastern Europe, as well as in the wooded part of the Urals.

Steppe. The largest species of wild ferrets, reaching a length of up to 55 cm and weighing up to 2 kg. The dark brown fur is unevenly pigmented, the underfur is light brown or cream, the mask on the muzzle is dark. The animal lives in the steppe regions of Europe and the Far East.

Blackfoot. The most rare type of wild ferret. The body of the animal is medium-sized, up to 42 cm in length with a weight of 0,3 to 1 kg. This breed is listed in the Red Book, as it is on the verge of extinction. Habitat – North America. The fur on the body of a predator has a delicate cream or yellow tint, paws, belly, tail and mask are almost black.6

Breeds of decorative ferrets

Breeds of decorative, or domestic, ferrets are as follows:

• honorik – this breed was bred by crossing a ferret and a mink;
• ferret – this is the name of all domesticated species of wild ferrets;
• furo – the breed is an albino form of the black polecat;
• thorzofretka – a hybrid obtained by crossing a domestic and wild animal.

Below are photos of domestic ferret breeds:

Honorik:

Fretka:

Furo:

Thorzofretka:

Coloring ferrets with names and photos

In the color classification, there are four main types of ferrets, the description and photos of which are given below:

Pearl. Ferrets in the mother-of-pearl group include sable and silver. The pigmentation of animal fur is heterogeneous: the bases of the hairs are light, and the ends of the sable ones are black, and the silver ones are gray. The undercoat is white, the eyes are brown or black, the nose is also, most often, brown, and may be patchy;

On the left in the photo – sable color, on the right – silver.

Pastel. This group has a lot of shades: they are united by the predominance of white or beige in the pigmentation of the fur. The nose is most often pink, the eyes are light brown;

Golden. This is a very rare color, the group does not include any other shades. Fur underfur – light yellow or orange, with a golden hue. The tips of the hairs of the fur coat are much darker, almost black. The nose is brown, the mask around the eyes is clearly visible on the muzzle;

White, or albino. Representatives of this species have white fur and the same white down (light cream is allowed), the nose is pink, and the eyes are red. This group stands apart from all the others.

In the American classification for the color of fur and guard hair, there are 8 types of domestic ferrets, a description of the external data characteristic of each specific color with a photo is presented below:

Black. In ferrets of this species, the entire body, including the mask, has a black solid color. The eyes and nose are also black;

Black sable. The fur of the animal is dark gray or black-brown, the downs are cream. Eyes – most often black, nose – brown, maybe with spots;

Sable. The fur of the animal is warm brown, the downs are cream or golden. The eyes are black or dark brown, the nose is light brown, sometimes with a T-shaped pattern;

Brown. The fur of the representatives of the brown species is a rich brown or red-brown color, the downs are white or golden. The eyes are dark or light brown, the nose is pink or slightly brownish;

Chocolate. The fur of the animals is the color of milk chocolate, the down is yellowish or white. Eyes – an unusual dark cherry color or just brown, nose – beige or pink;

Champagne. The fur of the representatives of Champagne is a delicate light brown tone, the downs are white or cream. The ferret has dark cherry eyes and a pink nose with a T-shaped brown pattern;

Albino. It is no different from an albino of the classification: completely white fur and undercoats, eyes and nose are only pink;

white dark eyed. The fur and downs are white, allowing light cream shades. The eyes are dark cherry or brown, the nose is pink.

In the photo on the left is an albino ferret, on the right is a white black-eyed:

In addition to color, domestic ferrets are also classified by color, depending on which four main types are distinguished:

• Siamese;
• roan;
• solid;
• standard.

Belonging to a particular species or breed is determined by the color of the nose, eyes and mask on the muzzle, as well as the intensity of color on the paws, tail and body.

Interesting facts about ferrets

Some pretty interesting facts about ferrets are known:

1. Puppies are born so tiny that they fit easily in a teaspoon.
2. The fur of these cute animals has a very pleasant honey-musky smell.
3. Ferrets sleep at least 20 hours a day, moreover, with a very strong and deep sleep.
4. The ferret has glands in the tail area, which, in case of danger, produce a very foul-smelling secret, with which the ferret is protected from enemies.
5. The ferret runs backwards just as fast as in the traditional way.
6. Regardless of the color and breed of the ferret, puppies are born only white.
7. Although this formidable predator hunts at night, his eyesight is poor.

Conclusion

Despite the fact that the ferret looks like a cute furry animal, he is quite capable of standing up for himself, because he has absolutely no fear of a larger rival. Unfortunately, many species and breeds of ferrets are endangered and are listed in the Red Book. Therefore, it is necessary to take care of the preservation of this dexterous, fearless and, undoubtedly, one of the most beautiful predators on our planet.