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Putorius
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Mustelidae
Genus:	Mustela
Subgenus:	Putorius Cuvier, 1817
Species
Mustela eversmannii Mustela furo Mustela nigripes Mustela putorius

Putorius is a subgenus of mustelids in the genus Mustela. It includes four species — the black-footed ferret or American polecat (Mustela nigripes), the domestic ferret (Mustela furo), the European polecat (Mustela putorius), and the steppe polecat (Mustela eversmanii). These mustelids are commonly referred to as "polecats" or "ferrets".

Putorius was first described in 1817 by Georges Cuvier and included multiple related species. This was until 1877 when Putorius was reclassified to only include three species. In 1982, the subgenus Cynomyonax (black-footed ferrets) was merged into Putorius. The common ancestor of all species in Putorius used to live in central Eurasia. Eventually, a population of steppe polecat migrated to North America and evolved into the black-footed ferret.

Etymology

The name "Putorius" comes from the Latin word pūtor, meaning "foul odor", "stench", or "stink", referring to the polecat and ferret's smell. This name has also been given to skunks.

Taxonomy

A subspecies with the name Putorius was first described by Georges Cuvier in his 1817 work Le Règne Animal (The Animal Kingdom). Steppe polecats and black-footed ferrets had not yet been described until 1827 and 1851 respectively. This original Putorius featured a much more wider array of animals, which included the European polecat and domestic ferret, alongside the American mink ("Polecat of the North American rivers"), Amazon weasel ("African ferret"), European mink, least weasel, marbled polecat, Malayan weasel, Siberian weasel, stoat, striped polecat, and "striped Madagascar ferret".

In 1877, American historian Elliott Coues split the original Putorius into multiple subgenuses, and reclassified the European polecat, domestic ferret and steppe polecat into a new Putorius. The black-footed ferret, which had features of Putorius and Gale (a subgenus split from Putorius), was put into its own subgenus Cynomyonax. The modern classification arose in 1982 when Phillip M. Youngman placed the black-footed ferret into Putorius. The ancestor of modern polecats and ferrets and earliest true polecat is considered to be Mustela stromeri, a smaller species whose size indicated polecats evolved at a late period.

Distribution, ecology, and diet

Originally, the common ancestor of members in Putorius, Mustela stromeri, lived in large territories of central Eurasia, with most skulls commonly unearthed in Eastern Europe. The range extended into North American when a population of steppe polecat (Mustela eversmannii berengii) crossed the Bering land bridge. This subspecies evolved into modern black-footed ferrets.

Most members eat rodents. 90% of the black-footed ferret's diet is made up of prairie dogs, followed by other small rodents and lagomorphs. The European polecat primarily feeds on mouse-like rodents, followed by amphibians and birds. The steppe polecat's predominant prey is the common vole, though it hunts more frequently on hamsters during spring and the summer.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List lists European and steppe polecats as "Least Concern" as both have widespread areas with large population. However, black-footed polecats are listed as "Endangered" and it is estimated that there are 350 black-footed ferrets living in the wild. The main threats to black-footed polecats are disease, habitat loss, and human-introduced diseases. The European polecat's main threat is vehicle collisions, and other threats include traps and poisoning through rats and other small mammals exposed to rodenticides.

References

1. Audubon, John James; Bachman, John (1854). The Quadrupeds of North America. V.G. Audubon.
2. Natural History of Oregon Coast Mammals. Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1981.
3. Cuvier, F. (1816). Cuvier, G. (ed.). Le règne animal distribué d'après son organisation, pour servir de base à l'histoire naturelle des animaux et d'introduction à l'anatomie comparée. Vol. I. Paris: Deterville. pp. 147–149.
4. Coues, Elliott (1877). Fur-bearing Animals. A Monograph of North American Mustelidæ. BoD – Books on Demand. ISBN 978-3-385-56054-3.
5. Youngman, Phillip M. (1982). Distribution and Systematics of the European Mink Mustela Lutreola Linnaeus 1761. Finnish Zoological Pub. Board. ISBN 978-951-9481-11-1.
6. Rigaux, Pierre (2017). Protéger le Putois d'Europe (Mustela putorius) état de conservation en France et demande d'inscription sur la liste des mammifères protégés (in French). La Société Française pour l'Etude et la Protection des Mammifères. p. 6.
7. Bourgeois, Gaëtan (2019-04-12). "Les mustélidae (carnivora) du pléistocène du sud de la France: Approche paléontologique, biométrique et de morphométrie géométrique des genres Gulo, Martes, Mustela et Meles". Archéologie et Préhistoire (in French). Université de Perpignan.
8. Jachowski, David S. (2014-03-28). Wild Again: The Struggle to Save the Black-Footed Ferret. Univ of California Press. pp. 9–10. ISBN 978-0-520-95816-6.
9. Szapu, Julianna Szulamit; Cserkész, Tamás; Pirger, Zsolt; Kiss, Csaba; Lanszki, József (2024-10-20). Mateo, Rafael (ed.). "Exposure to anticoagulant rodenticides in steppe polecat (Mustela eversmanii) and European polecat (Mustela putorius) in central Europe". Science of the Total Environment. 948. Elsevier: 174282. Bibcode:2024ScTEn.94874282S. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174282. PMID 38960164.
10. "Black-footed Ferret Conservation". CMZoo. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
11. "Polecats – Genuine Mustelids". www.genuinemustelids.org. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
12. "European polecat guide: species facts, how to identify, and the threats they face". Discover Wildlife. 2020-08-24. Retrieved 2024-12-16.

• Weasels
• Animal subgenera