Polecat |
Unique Features
The striped polecat is also known as a skunk or zorilla. The striped polecat has a black body with white stripes along its back. The polecat's diet includes almost any small animal such as mice, reptiles, frogs, birds, and insects such as spiders and scorpions. The polecat's anal glands are capable of squirting a jet of foul smelling secretion over a distance of one and a half metres. This vile liquid secretion can cause temporary blindness and vomiting and the smell lasts for up to three days. Predators The polecat is generally safe from predators, although it will occasionally be hunted by hyena. Sometimes polecats pretend to be dead to avoid the attentions of predators, lying quite still for up to a half an hour at a time. Another way for polecats to avoid predators is to hide in burrows or holes among tree roots, or in the safety of rock crevices. If all else fails, the polecat attack its hunter by tucking its head in, positioning its rear end to face its enemy, and ejecting its foul smelling secretion from its anal glands. Family Ties Adult polecats are solitary creatures, except for the short mating period. Their young are cared for by their mother and raised in burrows and are pink and hairless when born. Newborn polecats are fully grown at the age of five months and able to hunt for themselves. |