Mammals of the WorldMarbled Polecat
Vormela peregusna
- Order
- Carnivora
- Family
- Mustelidae
- Genus
- Vormela
- IUCN status
- VU
- Distribution
- Serbia|Kosovo|Montenegro|Albania|North Macedonia|Greece|Bulgaria|Romania|Egypt|Turkey|Israel|Palestine|Jordan|Saudi Arabia|Lebanon|Syria|Iraq|Iran|Georgia|Armenia|Azerbaijan|Turkmenistan|Uzbekistan|Kazakhstan|Tajikistan|Afghanistan|Pakistan|China|Mongolia
- Realm
- Palearctic
About this species
- Habitat
- Dry steppe, semi-desert, and desert
- Range
- Southeastern Europe through Central Asia to Mongolia and China
The marbled polecat is a small, strikingly patterned mustelid with a dark face mask, white markings around the muzzle and ears, and an irregularly mottled back of yellow, cream, brown, and black. Its low body, short limbs, and long bushy tail recall other polecats, but the marbled dorsal pattern is distinctive. The species is the only living member of Vormela. (Wikipedia, general species account)
Across its range it uses dry steppe, semi-desert, and desert from southeastern Europe through Central Asia toward Mongolia and China. It shelters in burrows and can dig for itself or occupy tunnels made by rodents. The animal is mainly active at night or around dawn and dusk, and its diet centres on small mammals, with birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and fruit also reported. (Wikipedia, general species account)
Description: Wildlife of Mongolia guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)