In general use, a ferret is a Domestic Ferret (Mustela putorius
furo), a creature first bred from the wild European Polecat at
least 2,500 years ago. Several other small, elongated carnivorous
mammals belonging to the family Mustelidae also have the word
"ferret" in their common names. For example, there is
a rare and endangered North American polecat known as the Black-footed
Ferret.
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No one knows
exactly when the ferret was first domesticated, though archeological
remains of the ferret have been dated to 1500 BCE. Most estimates
place it sometime around the domestication of the cat. Some say
the ancient Egyptians had ferrets, but it is more likely that
Europeans visiting Egypt saw cats, and thought using a small carnivore
to protect grain stores was a great idea. The ferret was probably
bred from the European Polecat (Mustela putorius), and some use
the scientific name Mustela putorius furo. It is also possible
that ferrets have the Steppe polecat (Mustela eversmanni) in their
ancestry. For hundreds of years the main use of ferrets was for
hunting, called ferreting. With their long, lean build and aggressive
nature, they are very well equipped for getting down holes and
chasing rabbits or other vermin out of their burrows. They are
still used for hunting in some countries, including the United
Kingdom and, particularly, Australia, where rabbits are a plague
species and, despite the availability of a great deal of modern
technology, the combination of a few small nets and a ferret or
two remains very effective. In countries such as Portugal, where
it's feared this activity could unbalance the ecology, ferreting
has been made illegal.
Above Images Are From The US Fish & Wildlife Service
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