| Scottish polecat | |
|---|---|
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| Painting by Archibald Thorburn | |
| Conservation status | |
| Extinct (c. 1912) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Mustelidae |
| Genus: | Mustela |
| Species: | M. putorius |
| Subspecies: | †M. p. caledoniae |
| Trinomial name | |
| †Mustela putorius caledoniae (Tetley, 1939) | |
| Synonyms | |
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The Scottish polecat (Mustela putorius caledoniae) is an extinct subspecies of European polecat that was endemic to Scotland until its extinction in the early 20th century. It was one of two subspecies of polecat in the island of Great Britain. In Scotland, polecats are referred as "foumarts", a term which originates from the Scots language.
The Scottish polecat was first described in 1939 after its extinction. Its range before its extinction was a far northern portion of Scotland.
Etymology and terms
The native term for polecat in Scotland is "foumart". This term originates from a Scots term with multiple spellings, such as fuimart or fumart. In Robert Burns' dialect of Ayrshire, the native term was thummurt or thoomart. This word is a contraction of the words "foul marten", as a reference to the odour of the polecat.
Taxonomy
The Scottish polecat was first described by H. Tetley in 1939, after its extinction. Tetley suggests that the domestic ferret's progenitor was a Sutherland population of Scottish polecat. Polecats first arrived in Britain from continental Europe at the end of the Last Glacial Period around 9,500 years ago.
Distribution and range
The Scottish polecat was one of two polecat species in the island of Great Britain, the other being the Welsh polecat. Despite being extinct in other parts of Scotland, by 1881 Scottish polecat populations had managed to survive in the far north, above the Moray Firth. The Scottish polecat was once common in all Scottish mainland counties before its decline.
Description
According to Scottish artist Archibald Thorburn, the Scottish polecat's length of head and body measures around 18 in (46 cm). Its tail measures 7–8 in (18–20 cm). The Scottish polecat's underfur was of a light yellowish shade of buff, which blended with the dark brown/black colour of its outerfur. It was smaller and more muscular than the pine marten, a fellow mustelid.
Extinction and claimed post-extinction sightings
Polecat populations decreased in the 20th century because of persecution. The last Scottish polecat sighting comes from 1912 in the small town of Lairg, Sutherland.
Many have reported seeing polecats in Scotland after the Scottish polecat's extinction. The earliest known sighting post-extinction was from H.M. Batten, who reported seeing one in Ardnamurchan. P.J.W. Langley and D.W. Walden believe this animal was actually a polecat–ferret hybrid from the Isle of Mull, which has a large polecat–ferret population. In 1987, polecats who resemble Welsh polecats were mostly found as road casualties in Scotland. These polecats were either Scottish polecats, escaped Welsh polecats or dark-furred feral ferrets.
References
- "Mustela putorius caledoniae". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
- "Dictionaries of the Scots Language:: SND :: foumart".
- Wilson, James (1923). The dialect of Robert Burns as spoken in central Ayrshire. Oxford University Press. p. 190.
- Reid, Alexander (1846). A Dictionary of the English Language: Containing the Pronunciation, Etymology, and Explanation of All Words Authorized by Eminent Writers; to which are Added a Vocabulary of the Roots of English Words, and an Accented List of Greek, Latin, and Scripture Proper Names (3rd ed.). Oliver and Boyd. p. 172.
- "Notes on British polecats and ferrets". Journal of Zoology.
- Harvie-Brown, John Alexander. "The past and present distribution of some of the rarer animals in Scotland". The Zoologist. 3rd series. 5: 161–171.
- Thorburn, Archibald (1920). British Mammals. Vol. 1. Longmans, Green. pp. 72–73.
- Hull, Robin (1 November 2012). Scottish Mammals. Birlinn. ISBN 978-0-85790-545-1.
- Landscape, Coigach & Assynt Living (3 December 2013). "on the trail of the polecat". Coigach & Assynt Living Landscape. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
- Ritchie, James (1920). The influence of man on animal life in Scotland; study in faunal evolution. Cambridge University Press. p. 164. ISBN 9781107512030. OCLC 551304989.
- Batten, H.M. (1947). "Polecats and pine martens". Field. 189: 18.
- Langley, P.J.W.; Yalden, D.W. (1 September 1977). "The decline of the rare carnivores in Great Britain during the nineteenth century". Mammal Review. 7 (3–4): 95–116. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2907.1977.tb00363.x.
- Clark, J.C.A.; Brown, D. (1909). "Polecats in the West of Scotland". The Glasgow Naturalist. 23. Glasgow Natural History Society: 50–53.
| Taxon identifiers | |
|---|---|
| Mustela putorius caledoniae | |