Forest or black ferret, as well as ordinary, dark or black ferret - all these are the names of a small animal of the marten family, a detachment of predators. It is widely known among lovers of exotic pets, easily gets along with people and feels comfortable both in the wild and at home. Read more about the forest ferret and its features - below.
What does a forest ferret look like?
The ferret has a small size; on the exterior it is a typical representative of its family.
Constitution
The body is elongated, flexible, squat with short but strong legs. This structure allows him to silently sneak up on his prey. The ferret’s neck is elongated, its head is small oval, the muzzle is elongated, slightly flattened to the nose.
The main parameters of the forest ferret:
Torso length | Weight | Tail length |
29-46 cm | 650-1500 g | 8-17 cm |
Color
Animals have long fur, which can reach 6 cm, the colors are different - from dark gray to black. However, individuals with a brown, reddish, yellow color are also found in the wild, and there are also albino representatives.
Color is never plain. So, the tail, stomach and paws are always darker than the body, and on the muzzle there is a white mask, which is a characteristic sign of a ferret.
In winter, after molting, the color of the forest ferret becomes darker than in the warm season.
Structural features
The main features of the structure of the beast include:
- a small head smoothly passes into a flexible and oblong neck;
- ears are small, low, with a wide base;
- eyes brown, shiny, like beads;
- legs are short and thick, even in the largest individuals the length of the hind legs is only 6-8 cm;
- on the feet, 5 fingers, between which there are membranes;
- the forest ferret has 28-30 teeth, 4 of them are fangs, 12 premolars, 12-14 incisors;
- next to the tail of the animal there are special glands that, in case of danger, secrete a secret with a fetid odor.
Where does it live?
The habitat extends to the territory of Eurasia and the northwestern part of the African continent. Most often found in Russia, China, England, Ukraine.
Not so long ago, black ferrets were brought to New Zealand to reduce the population of rodents, as a result, they took root there and feel more than comfortable.
Animals live in small forests, individual groves. They prefer not to go far into the forest, they like to settle on the edges of the forest, glades. Forest ferrets lead a sedentary lifestyle, very attached to the chosen place. They occupy a small area, and natural shelters are most often used as permanent shelters - masonry of firewood, decayed stumps, haystacks, and fallen trees. They practically never dig their own holes; they can live in branches of badger or fox holes.
They will never choose a dense taiga or open space, in extreme cases they settle near human settlements.
Lifestyle and behavior
By nature, the ferret is aggressive and fearless, can rush to an animal that is larger than it if it feels danger. During the day, the animal sleeps, very rarely leaves its shelter during daylight hours. At night, the predator goes hunting. He watches for the victim at the entrance to the dwelling or rushes after it in pursuit, sometimes even catches prey on the go. The ferret swims well, so you can meet him near small rivers or other bodies of water.
Types and their features
Forest ferret has 2 domesticated species:
- Ferret - color ferret. Decorative representative of the species, has fluffy fur sable, golden or pearly shade. Very contact, active and curious animal. The length of the body is 25-50 cm, weight is 800-2500 g. Ferrets love to sleep, can doze for up to 20 hours a day, especially in winter. The animal can be trained, you can train it to the tray and even walk on a leash. The diet includes feed mice, flour worms, cereal with meat, dry food. You can not give raw food and feed at the same time, choose one thing.
- Furo - albino ferret. The fur is white (due to the lack of melanin) or with a touch of chapman. There are individual individuals with sable and pearlescent colors. The size of the predator is 25-45 cm, weight - about 400 g. A distinctive feature is red eyes. It has the same qualities as the forest ferret. He loves active games and attention to himself. It is recommended to include white meat, chicken eggs, vegetables, veal and fresh fish in the diet. It is forbidden to give furo sweets, as in large quantities they can lead to the death of the animal.
Since in the wild the forest ferret eats at night, then these species must be given food at a certain time - around noon, afternoon and late evening. In the morning, ferrets eat poorly.
Wild Food
Although the forest ferret is also relatively large, it is a typical mouse-eater. The main diet of the animal is:
- small rodents - mice, rats, gerbils, field voles, moles, ground squirrels and ground squirrels;
- frogs and toads;
- large insects, such as locusts;
- hares and rabbits, can penetrate the burrows of animals and strangle young individuals;
- reptiles - lizards and snakes;
- small birds and their chicks, as well as eggs from land clutches;
- invertebrates, for example, worms;
- carrion - if there is no other source of food, the ferret will not disdain carrion.
One interesting feature of the forest ferret is noted - attacking a bird’s nest or falling into a rabbit’s hole, the beast completely ruins them and strangles all individuals that are there. Although it eats only a small part.
Breeding
Already 1 year after birth, the young ferret begins puberty. The rush occurs in April-May, although there are cases when this period can begin already in February or end in August, depending on the climatic conditions of the area where the ferret lives.
Females can give birth up to the age of 6!
Pregnancy lasts one and a half months, the female at one time is able to endure from 4 to 6 cubs. Ferret puppies are born very tiny and helpless, blind and deaf. The weight of the newborn is 10 g, and the length of the calf is 5.5-7 cm. Females are very caring and attentive mothers, they rarely excommunicate from the cubs, and if you still have to leave the offspring, then they close the entrance to the house with straw. Females selflessly protect puppies from any danger.
After a week, the kids are covered with silky white fur. A month later, the puppies eyes open and the color of the fur changes to gray-brown.
Mother feeds the offspring with milk until they reach one month of age, and when they have milk teeth, even before the end of the lactation period, they begin to feed young animals with meat. The offspring is kept with the mother until the fall, in some cases - until the next spring. At 3 months of age, ferrets are considered to be adults.
Young growth can be recognized by the presence of a special juvenile "mane".
As for the males, in the process they participate only at the mating stage, and all cares for the offspring are completely on the female.
Forest Ferret's Natural Enemies
Since ferrets are small animals, in the wild they have enemies that pose a mortal danger:
- Wolves. Although ferrets run fast, they rarely manage to escape from the wolf in the open. Therefore, they try to avoid open spaces and settle down where there are many bushes and similar shelters.
- Foxes. Another land predator that does not mind eating a forest ferret. Especially in winter, when foxes lack food. A sly fox can reach a ferret even in its own shelter, if it is really hungry.
- Lynx. Being an insidious "master of ambushes," the predator does not leave the animal a chance to survive. And sharp teeth can bite a ferret in one bite.
- Stray dogs. If a forest ferret crawled close to a human settlement, then a dog can lie in wait for him.
- Predator birds. At night, when the ferret goes hunting, hunting also begins on the part of owls or owls. In the afternoon, golden eagles and falcons are dangerous. Although often the fight with the bird ends in the victory of the ferret, as he is able to aggressively and fearlessly counterattack.
- Person. The human factor cannot be excluded from this list, since it is a person who is able to reduce the animal population by illegally hunting for valuable fur. Human activities, such as deforestation, also damage ferrets.
Interesting facts about the beast
There are several interesting facts that you should know about this animal:
- among the rural inhabitants, the forest ferret has earned a negative reputation for attacking poultry;
- refers to valuable fur-bearing animals, however, hunting for it is not conducted and is prohibited by law, since the number of ferrets is small;
- listed in the Red Book;
- 3-4 years live in the wild, at home, life expectancy increases by 2 times;
- the sensory system is well developed, but does not distinguish colors;
- in the wild, hybrids of the forest ferret and mink are often found, they are called honoriki;
- the ferret is depicted on the coat of arms of the city of Boguchar (Voronezh region) and the city of Oboyan (Kursk region);
- an angry or terrified forest ferret may make a strange hissing sound;
- the ferret’s stomach is not able to digest organic fibers;
- so that domestic ferrets do not emit a characteristic musky smell, a special gland is removed;
- Leonardo da Vinci's painting “A Lady with an Ermine” depicts not an ermine at all, but a ferret-furo;
So, while the dodgy and tenacious ferret manages to maintain its population. However, the main threat to his existence is still considered a man and his activities. Perhaps very soon the animal will survive only in its domesticated species.