dead ferret or polecat ?

[Naturenutz]

Found this poor fella in a damp wood near bristol,my best guess is ferret or polecat.Can anyone confirm id. May be a kit(young) ,if thats the correct phrase.

[The Woodman]

It looks very much like a ferret to me. The coat, although showing some darker tips, is too light for a polecat and the nose (rhinarium) pigment is light. Polecats noses are dark, hybrids are paler.

It does look emaciated as well, could be an escapee or a lost/abandoned working ferret.

[Rob_D]

Would second Woodman's view - Polecat are much darker looking even if the underfur is light. They also have very dark brown legs & tail. Keep looking though - probably a few Polecat around Bristol.

I found another dead Polecat/possible hybrid myself yesterday. Looked right for Polecat - no patches, facial pattern was right - though his nose was a little reddish (rather than pink). I suspect that might have had something to do with him being squished

[Dogghound]

Yes very pale a ferret. I used to have a jill the same colour.

[Naturenutz]

thanks for id guys,im not sure why but i had the impression it was a young one.but why would it be dead. There are some areas where rabbiting goes on not far away,so ferret would make sense although there are polecat ive seen several miles away,i thought it was ferret but did not know what a young polecat was like in colouration.
cheers vic

[Phoebe]

How sad to see this little creature. It is a ferret and Silver in colour by the look. Was it identified as a male or female?

[valleyforge]

I would agree that this is a silver ferret, very emaciated indeed, and judging solely on the daintiness of its feet, it's probably a female.

We have taken in a succession of feral ferrets and although the more robust males seem to be able to cope reasonably well living in the wild, the females generally do not.

Unspayed females need to be mated on a regular basis, in order to stimulate ovulation, otherwise they are very susceptible to hyperestrogenism, for which anorexia and weakness are among the clinical signs.

Even if this poor animal had been able to find enough to eat, it's long term chances of survival in the wild (given that it was unspayed) in the absence of an un-neutered male, would be minimal.

[treecreeper]

My mustelids book says 'Should you come across a dead polecat/ferret, the only sure way to establish whether it is a true polecat is to measure the post-orbital region of the skull [shortest distance between the eye sockets]. This is usually narrower in ferrets than in polecats: under 16mm in ferrets, over 16mm in polecats'.

The book has a diagram showing a distinct constriction in the ferret's skull, almost absent in the polecat's.

[Naturenutz]

thanks for that info guys/gals,im not sure how long it had been there but it was showing first signs of decomposing ,maybe a few days,week at most id guess,the fir was totally intact and it appeared all white/cream in colour.I could not see any exterior damage . poor fellow.
My first thought was stoat ,but i then realised they would be in summer coat,i have not heard or seen anything of them in years.Anyone know if there are still stoats around in the south west ?