The banding weasel belongs to the predators of the weasel family, is listed in the Red Book, and is the only species of its kind. For the beauty and originality of the color of their wool, they are called "marble ferrets" or overweight.

Ferret dressing: description, characteristics

Outwardly, dressing or overloading resembles a miniature ferret, a literal translation of the Latin name ( vormela peregusna) stands for "little worm". His muzzle is slightly rounded, his ears are large with a white edging. The physique in shape is characteristic of the weasel family: an elongated narrow body and short legs. Its main difference is the beautiful original variegated color of rough fur, consisting of alternating white, black and yellow spots on a brown background.

As you can see from the photo and description, the dressing ferret is outwardly very cute animal. Its body is 27-38 cm long, the tail is up to 17-20 cm, the weight of an adult animal is 350-750 g. The muzzle is black, over the eyes there is a snow-white strip, similar to a sling, for which this name was given to him. There is a large white-beige spot around the mouth, and the neck is decorated with 3 light stripes. The back is covered with a complex pattern of multi-colored spots and stripes, the bushy tail is also beautifully colored: at the base, reddish-brown, turns into light gray, at the end - black-brown. The breast and legs are black.

Ferrets of dressings live in nature for 6-7 years, in the zoo sometimes up to 9.

The dressing has a fighting character, when attacking enemies, he first saves on a tree, and in case of an imminent threat, he arch his back, rears his fur, shows his teeth, throwing his head back. The frightening appearance is confirmed by growling, squealing and the animal rushes and releases fetid liquid from under the tail from special anal glands.

Distribution area

The ferret-dressing lives in the southeastern part of Europe, Asia, in some regions of China. In Russia, animals are found in the south of the European part (Krasnodar Territory, etc.), in Altai and Ciscaucasia. Overgrowths also live in Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Transcaucasia and the steppes of Central Asia.

The main area of ​​residence is open steppe areas, treeless, sometimes covered with shrubs, the outskirts of forest tracts, river valleys, forest-steppe and semi-desert plains. Occasionally there are chori-dressings in the mountains up to an altitude of 3 km, they are also found in public gardens, they often settle near melons.

Places of residence are chosen for themselves in ready-made burrows of other animals, sometimes they dig them on their own, using paws with long claws and teeth to remove stones. In the daytime, they sit in a shelter, and they change it daily.

On the territory of the CIS, there are 2 types of dressings (typical and Transcaspian), slightly different in the color of their wool.

Nutrition and lifestyle

The dressing ferret's lifestyle is characterized by evening activity, so it is hardly noticeable in nature. The predator hunts more often underground, occasionally in trees. Its main food is small rodents: vole mice, hamsters, jerboas, ground squirrels, gerbils. Sometimes he eats eggs of birds, berries, loves to feast on plant foods: melons, fruits of shrubs (rose hips, teren, grapes, hawthorn).

They hunt on their own territory with an area of ​​10-30 hectares, in search of prey for a day, the animal can walk along underground passages up to 600 m, focusing on its sense of smell. There are known cases of joint hunting of dressing for gerbils with foxes. Moreover, during ground hunting, the animals can jump up to 60 cm in length.

Meeting each other, dressings show aggression, but more often they each live on their own territory, sleeping in their next burrow.

Reproduction of dressings

Scientists have little information about ferret breeding. Couples actively mate in the summer. It is known that pregnancy in a female lasts up to 11 months, which is associated with the intrauterine development of the egg, which begins to develop only a few months after fertilization.

3-8 blind cubs weighing 3-4 g are born in the litter, which occurs from February to March. Their first coat has a light beige color, not like an adult color, however, a future coat pattern is visible on the dark skin. Babies feed on mother's milk for 40-50 days and develop quickly, and then they begin to learn to hunt.

Sexual maturity in young dressings occurs: in females - at 3 months, in males - in a year.

There are some known cases of keeping trore-bandages in European and Russian zoos. The animals are successfully bred in the Leningrad and Rostov zoos.

This animal is distinguished by a wild disposition, but it is well tamed. Some hobbyists keep them at home. Due to the high activity of the animals, they need a spacious cage or aviary. To get rid of the unpleasant odor, they painlessly remove the anal glands. Captive babies can be fed with a mixture of milk and raw eggs.

Bandaging in the Red Book

The number of this species of martens has been sharply decreasing in recent decades, the habitat is decreasing, mainly due to the development of steppe lands with the expansion of agricultural areas. Fur is of no value, only poachers get it. In nature, the animal is beneficial by destroying small rodents that harm agriculture and spread infectious diseases.

The decrease in the number of the banding polecat is also associated with the widespread disappearance of the main prey of this predator - ground squirrels and mole rats. Often they die, being poisoned by insecticides, which poison pests, or in traps set on steppe rodents.

In Ukraine, he lives on the territory of the Lugansk and Ukrainian state reserves. In 2017, a coin dedicated to this rare predator and endangered animal was issued.

Lifestyle. Bandages mainly use the burrows of their prey with subsequent deepening as places to live, but sometimes they themselves pull out a house for themselves. At the same time, neither stones nor plant roots are an obstacle for nimble animals. Peregus are active at night, and during the day they spend in their shelters, which are changed every day. Outside the mating season, they prefer loneliness, and they try not to enter into conflicts with brothers.

When a danger arises, these animals easily climb a tree in a matter of minutes, and if there is nowhere to go, they can frighten the enemy themselves. In this case, their fur stands on end, the back bends, the animals begin to bite their teeth, throw their heads back and throw their tousled tail over their back, taking on a frightening look, accompanied by a growl. If such a position does not frighten the enemy, then the bandages with a loud squeal rush at the offender and release a nasty pungent smell from the glands under the tail.

A bandage is an animal that hunts equally well, both on the surface of the earth and on trees. However, the main method of foraging is hunting small rodents in their own burrows. Using its nose as the main guide, in one day the animal can walk about 600m, moving underground in search of mice, voles, gerbils, gophers and hamsters. On the ground, the predator overtakes the prey in jumps up to 60 cm long. If there is enough food in the surrounding area, then the overuse ones adhere to a sedentary lifestyle.

There is information that bandages attack the gerbil colony together with foxes. Those gerbils that jump out of the hole in horror fall into the fox's mouth, and those that manage to hide in the depths of the hole - into the clutches of dressings.

Nutrition. Ground squirrels and gerbils are considered the favorite food of these predators. Less often, animals eat hamsters, jerboas, voles, birds, snakes, frogs and lizards as food. If possible, they do not refuse to eat eggs, berries, fruits of trees and, especially, the pulp of melons and watermelons. At home, in addition to natural food, dressings are fed with milk, cheese, cottage cheese, bread and meat.

Reproduction. Pregnancy in females lasts 11 months, but the expectant mother carries the fetus much less than this time. Such a feature in dressings is caused by the egg, the development of which begins much later from the moment of its fertilization.

The litter usually contains from 4 to 5 cubs. After birth, they continue to remain blind and helpless for some time. Babies develop quickly, and after 4 weeks they already refuse breast milk and begin to learn the art of hunting. Sexual maturity to females comes after 3 months from the moment of birth, and to males only at the age of one year.

The ligation marten is considered a species with a sharply declining population and a shrinking habitat. The reason for this was the development of the steppes for the needs of agriculture and the mining industry. Many animals die by eating rodents poisoned as part of pest control, as well as in traps intended for steppe ferrets and ground squirrels. In order to preserve the species, the dressing is included in the IUCN Red List and the Red Book of the Russian Federation with an orange status - 3: a rare animal with a shrinking range.

This is a cute, beautiful animal, in many ways similar to an ordinary ferret. Why was it included in the list of animals for the Red Book? What can threaten the life of a small animal that is found among the thickets of the Krasnodar Territory?

Steppe ferret

It is considered a predator and biologists attribute it to the large family of mustelids, where there is not only a marten, but also an ordinary ferret. The animals live in the steppes of Eastern Europe, they are also found in Asia, there are a lot of steppes that are convenient for him. The ferret prefers a dry area without tall trees and an abundance of bushes. These are semi-deserts, steppes, large plains. With the development of agriculture, more and more steppes adapt to fields and arable lands forced the animals to immigrate to the south. Now the ferret dressing can be seen in Ukraine, also in Moldova, they are in Azerbaijan, also in the Transcaucasus and the steppes of Central Asia.

The plowed land is no longer interested in bandaging, but it is not a matter of fear of man. After plowing, rodents disappear, its main food. The number of dressings has dropped significantly, as noted by ecologists of the Krasnodar Territory. Therefore, the species was listed in the book for rare and endangered animals. So nature conservationists wanted to draw public attention to the animals. Direct human activity does not greatly harm the ferret, animals are sometimes found even in parks, near large cities and towns. They catch mice, wild hamsters and other rodents, which they deftly hunt. A small elongated body helps ferrets to deftly maneuver between stones and navigate in the low steppe grass, and also dive into holes in search of prey. The color of the dressing is also interesting, the body is covered with multi-colored specks, there are several stripes on the tail. It is easy for a ferret to hide among the vegetation and stones of the steppe. Bandaging can chase rodents for days, and by killing the owner of a convenient burrow, a ferret can expand its dwelling and temporarily settle there. In addition to mice and hamsters, the dressing hunts well for small hares, gape birds, catches lizards, even frogs, when it wanders into swampy places. He is also able to diversify the diet with berries, chew herbs if he feels a lack of vitamins. The dressing is smaller than a normal ferret, but just as dexterous and quick. The body length of adults is up to 38cm, weight varies between 370-730g. Big ears are always on the alert, catching the slightest rustle, because its prey has great dexterity.
The dressing looks somewhat different from the usual ferret. Her muzzle is shorter, her ears are larger, and most importantly, her color is more variegated. This is most likely due to the habitat.

Many call the dressing for an interesting color "marble ferret". Outwardly, the animal is similar to a ferret, but at the same time it has a large number of differences. The length of the body is only 26-30 cm, while the tail is slightly shorter up to 22 cm. The color is very unusual. The main color is black. On the back there are motley colors in yellow and white tones. The mouth, chin, closed band above the eyes and joining at the neck, and the tips of the ears are white. The tail is colored brown with a black tip. The ears are large, fluffy and round. The fur at the dressing is short but soft. Legs and chest are always black. Can stand on its hind legs and straighten. The weight of males is up to 600 g, and the weight of females is up to 700 g.

Bandage voice

Habitat dressing

The usual habitat for dressing is deserts, steppes, woodlands. In addition, the animal climbs mountains up to 3 thousand meters above sea level. Bandaging is widespread in most of Eastern Europe and throughout Asia.

If we describe the area of ​​residence of ferrets, it will turn out that they live from the Balkan Peninsula, touching the south of Russia, to the northwestern regions of Mongolia and China. The animal rarely immigrates, only if the food on the territory has run out.

The dressing lives either in other people's holes, or it digs itself. The animal does not try to avoid people and settlements, so you can easily find it in vegetable gardens, vineyards and parks. Bandages are often kept at home, because their content differs little from hamsters or ferrets.

What does the dressing eat?

There are several areas where dressings hunt. Standing on their hind legs and looking out for prey, they catch small rodents and birds on the ground. In addition, they perfectly know how to climb tall trees and hunt bird eggs, and sometimes even eat insects.

It is also known that dressings eat not only meat, although they love it most of all, but also berries, the pulp of watermelons or melons, some plants are also used. Still, the most common method of getting food from them is hunting in underground passages and burrows for gophers and gerbils.

An interesting fact is that bandages often hunt together with other animals, such as a fox, catching prey by surprise. The fox guards the exit from the hole, and the bandage attacks in the underground passages. It turns out to whom the prey runs out will get it. During the hunt, the endangered subspecies uses voice warnings, and in case of danger it is capable of emitting a fetid odor and throwing itself at an opponent.

Enemies bandaging

The main enemy of dressing is man. The animal is not interesting to the industry in terms of fur. The main reason for the extinction of the subspecies is agricultural activity. After the fields are plowed up, the fields are sprayed, the total destruction of rodents, which are the main food of the dressing, is carried out.

The number of dressings

There are no exact data on the number of animals. There are records that in the 80s in Dagestan the population ranged from 60 to 80 units of individuals. And at present, in the Republic of Tyva, there are about 120 individuals in the areas that correspond to the places of residence of the dressings.

Reproduction dressings

The mating season for dressings lasts all summer. Pregnancy lasts a long time, as much as 11 months. This duration is due to the fact that the egg first rests, and then the development of the fetus begins. Up to 8 small puppies are born with pressed ears, closed eyes and with a minimum coat. The male participates in raising the young only in captivity. Puppies' eyes open after 40 days. After 1.5 months, the puppies wean from their mother's milk and begin to hunt on their own.

Females reach sexual maturity as early as 3 months, while males only after a year. In freedom, the animal lives for about 6 years, but in captivity they live up to 9.

Dressing guard

The dressing is listed in the International Red Book as an animal, the range of which is very rapidly declining. At the moment, hunting for an animal is strictly prohibited. A study of the life of the dressing is underway to assess the suitability of the animal in protected reserves and reserves.

In Dagestan, there is the only reserve in which dressings live. In addition, there is a possibility that the subspecies may be located in the reserves of the Saratov region.

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Taxonomic affiliation: Class - Mammals (Mammalia), row - Predatory (Carnivora), family - Mustelidae. The only species of the genus.

Conservation status of the species: Rare.

The area of ​​the species and its distribution in Ukraine: The area covers the southeast. Europe, Minor, Western, Central Asia and some regions of China. In Ukraine, dressing is widespread on the territory of Zaporozhye, Donetsk and Lugansk regions. Places of stay. The main biotopes of congestion are open treeless areas in the Steppe, less often - shrubs, river valleys and the outskirts of woodlands in the Forest-Steppe.

The number and reasons for its change: About 100 individuals live in Ukraine. Reasons for the change in numbers: The transformation of virgin steppes into agrocenoses, as well as the widespread disappearance of ground squirrels and mole rats, the main prey of the predator.

Features of biology and scientific significance: The bandage is an autochthonous steppe and semi-desert fauna. It is characterized by evening activity, which makes it unobtrusive to animals. According to the genome structure, the genus Vormella is phylogenetically closely related to the genus of martens (Martes), and, at the same time, is significantly isolated from it. The greatest value in the diet of a predator is ground squirrels, jerboas, hamsters, mice and fistulas, although he also loves melons, rose hips, thorns, hawthorns, and grapes. There are known cases of joint hunting with a fox. She does not build her own burrows, but uses the habitation of steppe rodents. The individual plot of the animal is small and amounts to 10-30 hectares. Reproduction ligation has been little studied. It is characterized by a latent phase in the development of the embryo. In April-May, there is a maximum (53-54%) of parturient women, who generally occur from March to November inclusive. The female gives birth to 2-14 babies weighing 3.2-4.7 g, although the reproduction rate is low, about 8 embryos per 100 females. Probably both parents are involved in raising offspring.

Morphological signs: The bandage is similar to the forest ferret, from which it differs in smaller size (body length - 269-352 mm, weight - 370-715 g) and variegated fur color, combining black, yellow, white stripes and spots.

Population conservation regime and protection measures: It is listed in the I and II editions of the KKU (1980, 1994). How vulnerable the species is included in the IUCN Red List, and as a species under special protection to the convention. Protected in the Luhansk State (Streltsovskaya Steppe and Lugansk Steppe sites) and in the Ukrainian State Reserves (Khomutovskaya Steppe site). Breeding and breeding in captivity. Cases of breeding are known in some zoos in Europe.

Economic and commercial value: Doesn't have.

Vormela peregusna peregusna (Güldenstädt, 1770)

Type of:

Class:

Detachment:

PREDATORS - Carnivora

Systematic position

Mustelidae family.

Status

1A "In critical condition" - 1A, KS. In the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation, dressing (V. peregusna) is classified as “1 - Endangered” with the status of an endangered species represented on the territory of Russia by two subspecies - South Russian V. peregusna peregusna and semi-rechensky - V. peregusna pallidior Stroganov, 1948. The intraspecific taxonomic structure requires special study and revision. In the Red Book of the USSR, it is assigned to the category “II. Rare species ”with the status - a rare, declining subspecies.

Threat category of the global population on the IUCN Red List

"Low risk" - Lower Risk / least concern, LR / lc ver. 2.3 (1994).

Category according to the criteria of the IUCN Red List

The regional population is categorized as Critically Endangered, CR A1c; D. A. M. Guineev.

Belonging to the objects of action of international agreements and conventions ratified by the Russian Federation

Not belong.

Brief morphological description

The South Russian dressing is a small animal. Body length up to 350 mm, weight - 0.4-0.7 kg. According to external features, it is similar to the steppe ferret, but differs in variegated color: the presence of black, yellow to brown and white. The upper lips and chin are white. A dark brown stripe runs along the muzzle through the eyes, then a white stripe across the forehead, then black in front of the ear conchs, and again along the ears and crown of the head - white. The back is brownish or yellow with light and dark spots of various sizes and shapes. The belly and extremities are dark brown, in places with light spots. The tail is two-colored and black at the end. Moves more often by jumping, arching his back in an arc. When frightened, the fluffed tail bends over the back. The dressing is a night animal, under the light of a lantern the eyes emit unusually bright sparkling tones.

Spreading

The global area of ​​dressing is the steppes of southeastern Europe, the Black Sea region, Crimea, Ciscaucasia and Transcaucasia, Central and Asia Minor, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Palestine. In general, the border of the range of this predator in the former USSR space has retreated 350-600 km southward over the past 100-200 years, and 1600 km from west to east. In the Russian Federation, the northern border of the area runs from Voronezh to the Saratov region (Cherkasskoye, Starye Shikhany), then in the Trans-Volga region it turns to the south of the Samara region, stretches through the basin of the river. Chagan and leaves for the Oren-burg region. In the Trans-Volga region, in addition to the South Russian mating, the eastern subspecies of this animal (Semirechenskaya) can be found. The border of its distribution, passing through Kazakhstan, reappears near Biysk. She also lives in Tuva. In the Southern Federal District, it is common in the steppes of the Lower Don, Kalmykia and the North Caucasus, along steppe areas it enters the foothills up to 700 m above sea level. seas. In KK in the 60-70s of the xx century. the southern border of the habitat passed along the Krymsk - Abadzekhskaya - Psebay line. Now its habitat is torn apart and has a focal character in the northern steppe districts of the right bank of the Kuban. Fragments of the area are located in the eastern part of Shcherbinovsky, Starominsky, Leningrad, Kushchevsky, Krylovsky and Beloglinsky districts. Along the Kuban valley from Krymsk to Kavkazskaya, it practically disappeared. Eight years ago, the dressing was met near the lake. Khansky in the Yeisk district. In the eastern and southeastern districts of the region, in the forest-steppe ecosystems, its settlements have survived to this day: Novokubansky, Otradnensky and Labinsky districts. It is believed that along the Black Sea coast it was met to the southern borders of the region, and it penetrates into the mountains up to 1500 m above sea level. sea, but these materials require confirmation. A stenobiont species displaced by human economic activity into unusual habitats.

Features of biology and ecology

Inhabitant of steppe spaces - wastelands, inconveniences, gullies, forest belts, etc. It is very rare in forests and only along ramparts - in reed thickets. Night animal, active all year round. It settles in the holes of rodents, expanding them. It feeds on small mouse-like rodents, possibly muskrat, common duck, lizards and snakes. Does not form permanent settlements. Pregnancy up to 5 months with a latency pause. There are 3–8 in a litter, on average 4–5 pups. Competitors are the steppe polecat (Mustela eversmanni), weasel (Mustela nivalis), stone marten (Martes foina) and fox (Vulpes vulpes); enemies - stray dogs (Canis familiaris) and jackal (Canis aureus).

Population and its trends

Due to the lack of demand for dressing furs, counting has never been carried out and the population is unknown. The animal is rare everywhere. In natural habitats, there are 0.1–0.3 tracks per 1 km. The density of the bandaging population in the CC does not exceed 0.01–0.02 individuals per 1000 ha. Due to the plowing of the steppe, the destruction of the gopher - the main food item of the predator - its number has decreased. In connection with a decrease in the area of ​​sowing of monocultures and the emergence of uncultivated land, there is a possibility of stabilization of the number and expansion of habitats of this species.

Limiting factors

Continuous plowing and repeated processing of agricultural lands, grazing at inconveniences, construction of railway, asphalt, gravel roads, oil and gas pipelines, canals and ditches, everywhere an increase in the number of stray dogs, etc. Treatment of crops with insecticides and their entry into the food chain the described predator contributes to the reduction of its life span.

Necessary and additional security measures

In the steppe zone, there is the only Novoberezanskiy zakaznik, but there are no restrictions on human economic activity in it. There is no bandage there either. Information about the ecology of this rare animal is very scarce. It is necessary to organize a nature reserve in the underdeveloped lands of the Otradnensky district.

Sources of information

1. Aristov et al., 2001; 2. Geptner et al., 1967; 3. Guineev et al., 1988; 4. Guineev et al., 2001; 5. Kotov et al., 1967; 6. Red Data Book of the Russian Federation, 2001; 7. Red Book of the USSR, 1984; 8. Plotnikov, 2000; 9. Tembotov, 1972; 10. IUCN, 2004.

Lifestyle. Bandages mainly use the burrows of their prey with subsequent deepening as places to live, but sometimes they themselves pull out a house for themselves. At the same time, neither stones nor plant roots are an obstacle for nimble animals. Peregus are active at night, and during the day they spend in their shelters, which are changed every day. Outside the mating season, they prefer loneliness, and they try not to enter into conflicts with brothers.

When a danger arises, these animals easily climb a tree in a matter of minutes, and if there is nowhere to go, they can frighten the enemy themselves. In this case, their fur stands on end, the back bends, the animals begin to bite their teeth, throw their heads back and throw their tousled tail over their back, taking on a frightening look, accompanied by a growl. If such a position does not frighten the enemy, then the bandages with a loud squeal rush at the offender and release a nasty pungent smell from the glands under the tail.

A bandage is an animal that hunts equally well, both on the surface of the earth and on trees. However, the main method of foraging is hunting small rodents in their own burrows. Using its nose as the main guide, in one day the animal can walk about 600m, moving underground in search of mice, voles, gerbils, gophers and hamsters. On the ground, the predator overtakes the prey in jumps up to 60 cm long. If there is enough food in the surrounding area, then the overuse ones adhere to a sedentary lifestyle.

There is information that bandages attack the gerbil colony together with foxes. Those gerbils that jump out of the hole in horror fall into the fox's mouth, and those that manage to hide in the depths of the hole - into the clutches of dressings.

Nutrition. Ground squirrels and gerbils are considered the favorite food of these predators. Less often, animals eat hamsters, jerboas, voles, birds, snakes, frogs and lizards as food. If possible, they do not refuse to eat eggs, berries, fruits of trees and, especially, the pulp of melons and watermelons. At home, in addition to natural food, dressings are fed with milk, cheese, cottage cheese, bread and meat.

Reproduction. Pregnancy in females lasts 11 months, but the expectant mother carries the fetus much less than this time. Such a feature in dressings is caused by the egg, the development of which begins much later from the moment of its fertilization.

The litter usually contains from 4 to 5 cubs. After birth, they continue to remain blind and helpless for some time. Babies develop quickly, and after 4 weeks they already refuse breast milk and begin to learn the art of hunting. Sexual maturity to females comes after 3 months from the moment of birth, and to males only at the age of one year.

The ligation marten is considered a species with a sharply declining population and a shrinking habitat. The reason for this was the development of the steppes for the needs of agriculture and the mining industry. Many animals die by eating rodents poisoned as part of pest control, as well as in traps intended for steppe ferrets and ground squirrels. In order to preserve the species, the dressing is included in the IUCN Red List and the Red Book of the Russian Federation with an orange status - 3: a rare animal with a shrinking range.

Ferret Dressing is very similar in appearance to the common ferret, but it is not so common in the wild.

Characteristics of the ferret breed Dressing

The Bandage ferret is considered a predator, but this does not prevent him from maintaining good relations with people. That is why this particular type of animal quickly gained its popularity as a pet.

Habitat

In nature, the ferret Bandage lives in the low-lying part of the mountains at a level of 3-4 km from the ground.

You can find these animals not far from their holes or directly in their home. These small animals live on the territory of the Baltic Peninsula and partly on the lands of China. Russia is another place that these predatory animals have chosen.

Ferret Bandage leads an active nocturnal lifestyle, sleeps during the daytime.

Habitat Bandages

This animal lives in parks, vineyards, vegetable gardens. He treats people positively, because he gets used to the fact that they are always around. The predator is very smart, he builds several houses in different places on the territory of about 500 m. He does this for his convenience and safety. A large number of houses allows the animal to hunt freely and successfully hide from predators.

Description and nutrition

Outwardly, as already mentioned, the bandage ferret is very similar to its relative, the common ferret. On average, the length of the animal's body is 28-35 cm. The tail reaches 13-17 cm in length. The body of a ferret has an average weight of 300-700 g. The ears of the rodent are large, have a rounded shape and white stripes are drawn on the tips.

The animal's muzzle is slightly flattened. On the head, as well as on the ears, there is a white stripe. The ferret has a thick, smooth coat. By color, the predator of the Bandage breed differs from the usual species of ferrets. The coat shimmers with brown, yellow, black, white. In the photo, she does not seem as bright as live.

Ferrets feeding dressing

Ferret Ligation prefers small prey in its diet, those animals that live in burrows or on tree trunks. The prey can be a mouse, gopher, jerboa, hamster, gerbil. In hunting, the main assistant of rodents is scent. The animal can climb up to 600 m along the burrow without a single exit to the outside. Also, this type of rodent loves to dilute its daily diet with fruits, for example, melon, watermelon, pumpkin or various types of wild berries.

Lifestyle

The bandage is active while hunting at night. If there is no prey, the animal behaves calmly. The ferret has long claws, with the help of which it digs holes. If the strength of the claws is not enough, the animal also connects its teeth to work. Bandaging marks can be recognized by the following criteria:

• If you come across a bandage track in the sand, it should look like a common ferret's footprint.
• Ferret ligation does not leave claw marks on firm ground.
• The rodent of this breed is so nimble and agile that you can often find a footprint on which there will be prints of all four paws at once.

The dressing is active

Thanks to its developed hunter skills, the animal can get at least 4 carcasses within an hour. In rare cases, Bandage goes hunting with a fox. The redhead frightens small rodents, they hide in burrows from fright, and the ferret has an excellent opportunity to catch its prey.

When Ferret Bandage senses a foreign smell, hearing, scent and sight are strained as much as possible. To avoid meeting a predator, the animal stands on two legs, arch its back as much as possible and stretches out its neck. He does this in order to cover as much territory as possible. The look becomes vicious, the tail is pressed.

Reproduction

Rodents reach puberty at the age of 7-12 months. Males are able to successfully fertilize a female for an average of 5-7 years. The female can bear and give a healthy offspring within 3-4 years of life.

1. Peace. This period lasts from the first pregnancy (or when heat is interrupted) until the second heat occurs. During this period of time, no changes occur in the female's body.
2. Before the start of the sexual hunt. This period falls in winter, around February, and lasts about 10-15 days. During this cycle, the female and male become sexually mature.
3. Sexual hunting. This period of sexual activity falls in the spring, when day begins to prevail over night. This time falls mainly in the middle of March. Females, which first reached sexual maturity, go out to hunt a little later than the rest, around the end of April. By and large, a female's hunt depends on many factors. If the female is sick, exhausted, or living conditions before the hunt were unfavorable, she will go out to hunt much later than the rest of the females.
4. After the hunt. During this period, the female bears the fetus. After giving birth, the female's body returns to its previous state. If mating did not occur or there was an abortion, at this stage the girl, after a short period of time, is in heat again.

In places where dressings are bred, there are about 5 females per male. Mating animals is recommended in the daytime, preferably in the morning. Sexual intercourse lasts a minimum of 15 minutes and a maximum of 2 hours. After the morning mating for the evening, the male can again be bred with the female.

When mating, the ferret of this breed behaves calmly. There is no need to worry about the fact that during mating, the female may rush to the male or vice versa. Males, which are distinguished by their mating activity, receive additional nutrition.

Conclusion

The rodent burrow can reach more than 100 m and have several exits outside.

The banding weasel belongs to the predators of the weasel family, is listed in the Red Book, and is the only species of its kind. For the beauty and originality of the color of their wool, they are called "marble ferrets" or overweight.

Ferret dressing: description, characteristics

Outwardly, dressing or overloading resembles a miniature ferret, a literal translation of the Latin name ( vormela peregusna) stands for "little worm". His muzzle is slightly rounded, his ears are large with a white edging. The physique in shape is characteristic of the weasel family: an elongated narrow body and short legs. Its main difference is the beautiful original variegated color of rough fur, consisting of alternating white, black and yellow spots on a brown background.

As you can see from the photo and description, the dressing ferret is outwardly very cute animal. Its body is 27-38 cm long, the tail is up to 17-20 cm, the weight of an adult animal is 350-750 g. The muzzle is black, over the eyes there is a snow-white strip, similar to a sling, for which this name was given to him. There is a large white-beige spot around the mouth, and the neck is decorated with 3 light stripes. The back is covered with a complex pattern of multi-colored spots and stripes, the bushy tail is also beautifully colored: at the base, reddish-brown, turns into light gray, at the end - black-brown. The breast and legs are black.

Ferrets of dressings live in nature for 6-7 years, in the zoo sometimes up to 9.

The dressing has a fighting character, when attacking enemies, he first saves on a tree, and in case of an imminent threat, he arch his back, rears his fur, shows his teeth, throwing his head back. The frightening appearance is confirmed by growling, squealing and chemical attack: the animal rushes and releases fetid liquid from special anal glands from under the tail.

Distribution area

The ferret-dressing lives in the southeastern part of Europe, Asia, in some regions of China. In Russia, animals are found in the south of the European part (Krasnodar Territory, etc.), in Altai and Ciscaucasia. Overgrowths also live in Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Transcaucasia and the steppes of Central Asia.

The main area of ​​residence is open steppe areas, treeless, sometimes covered with shrubs, the outskirts of forest tracts, river valleys, forest-steppe and semi-desert plains. Hori-dressings are rarely found in the mountains up to an altitude of 3 km, they are found in city parks and squares, they often settle near melons.

Places of residence are chosen for themselves in ready-made burrows of other animals, sometimes they dig them on their own, using paws with long claws and teeth to remove stones. In the daytime, they sit in a shelter, and they change it daily.

On the territory of the CIS, there are 2 types of dressings (typical and Transcaspian), slightly different in the color of their wool.

Nutrition and lifestyle

The dressing ferret's lifestyle is characterized by evening activity, so it is hardly noticeable in nature. The predator hunts more often underground, occasionally in trees. Its main food is small rodents: vole mice, hamsters, jerboas, ground squirrels, gerbils. Sometimes he eats eggs of birds, berries, loves to feast on plant foods: melons, fruits of shrubs (rose hips, teren, grapes, hawthorn).

They hunt on their own territory with an area of ​​10-30 hectares, in search of prey for a day, the animal can walk along underground passages up to 600 m, focusing on its sense of smell. There are known cases of joint hunting of dressing for gerbils with foxes. Moreover, during ground hunting, the animals can jump up to 60 cm in length.

Meeting each other, dressings show aggression, but more often they each live on their own territory, sleeping in their next burrow.

Reproduction of dressings

Scientists have little information about ferret breeding. Couples actively mate in the summer. It is known that pregnancy in a female lasts up to 11 months, which is associated with the intrauterine development of the egg, which begins to develop only a few months after fertilization.

3-8 blind cubs weighing 3-4 g are born in the litter, which occurs from February to March. Their first coat has a light beige color, not like an adult color, however, a future coat pattern is visible on the dark skin. Babies feed on mother's milk for 40-50 days and develop quickly, and then they begin to learn to hunt.

Puberty in young dressings occurs: in females - at 3 months, in males - in a year.

There are some known cases of keeping trore-bandages in European and Russian zoos. The animals are successfully bred in the Leningrad and Rostov zoos.

This animal is distinguished by a wild disposition, but it is well tamed. Some hobbyists keep them at home. Due to the high activity of the animals, they need a spacious cage or aviary. To get rid of the unpleasant odor, they painlessly remove the anal glands. Captive babies can be fed with a mixture of milk and raw eggs.

Bandaging in the Red Book

The number of this species of martens has been sharply decreasing in recent decades, the habitat is decreasing, mainly due to the development of steppe lands with the expansion of agricultural areas. Fur is of no value, only poachers get it. In nature, the animal is beneficial by destroying small rodents that harm agriculture and spread infectious diseases.

The decrease in the number of the banding polecat is also associated with the widespread disappearance of the main prey of this predator - ground squirrels and mole rats. Often they die, being poisoned by insecticides, which poison pests, or in traps set on steppe rodents.

The ferret is listed in the Russian and Ukrainian Red Data Book in order to preserve this species of animals as a rare animal with a shrinking range. He is also listed on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

In Ukraine, he lives on the territory of the Lugansk and Ukrainian state reserves. In 2017, a coin dedicated to this rare predator and endangered animal was issued.

Features and habitat of dressings

The bandage is a small predator that looks like a ferret. It is translated from Latin as "little worm". This is a rather rare animal, and not as common as its closest relatives: ferrets and weasels.

The dressing, over-dressing or dressing polecat has a small, elongated and narrow body, up to 38 cm in length. The animal weighs about 700 g. The female and the male do not look different from each other.

This animal stands out for its unusual color. Its main color is dark chestnut, and whimsically alternating along the entire back, forming complex patterns, white, black and yellow spots. Its fur is low and rough, so the animal is always slightly disheveled.

On a small black and white blunt muzzle, there are incredibly large ears, covered with long blond hairs. Paws at dressings short compared to the body animal and therefore it seems that the animal is pressed to the ground.

The bushy tail ends with a small tassel and is also multi-colored. The dressing is not very talkative. Her vocalizations include high-pitched signal cries, grunts, rumblings and prolonged squeals. When frightened, she growls angrily and displeased.

Dressing can be called desert animals, as it is found in this natural area, overgrown with saxaul. Occasionally climbs mountains to a height of up to 3 km. The habitat of this animal starts from the Balkan Peninsula to the north-west of Mongolia and China. They are not afraid of people and can choose a park, vineyard or vegetable gardens as a place to live.

The nature and lifestyle of the dressing

Dressings lead an active lifestyle at night or with the onset of the first twilight. During the day, they prefer to sleep in shelters that they made themselves or use ready-made ones.

They do not stay in it all the time, but choose a new one every day. Each animal has its own territory, about 500 m2, along which it constantly moves in search of food.

Hori dressings they love solitude, the exclusion of the mating season, and when meeting with brothers, they can behave quite aggressively, defending the occupied territory.

At the moment of danger, the dressing tries to run away to a tree or hide in a hole. If this is not possible, then the animal takes a threatening pose. At the same time, he rises on his paws, throws his tail on his back and, showing his teeth, emits a loud roar. If the offender does not react to this, then the dressing rushes into a fight, and sprinkles a fetid secret from the anal gland.

The animal hunts more often for rodents in their burrows, although it easily does it in trees. They see poorly, so the main tool for obtaining food is the sense of smell. In search of a victim, they can walk up to 600 m, moving along underground passages.

An interesting fact in the hunt dressings is that she sometimes combines with another animals- a fox to attack a gerbil colony. The fox guards the rodents at the exits from the holes, and the bandaging destroys them in the underground passages themselves.

You can find this animal by the traces left by it. They are paired and set slightly obliquely. Exploring the terrain in zigzags, the animal stops and raises its muzzle a little.

If you don't like something, it stands on its hind legs, like a meerkat, in a column. This greatly increases the view of the dressing. If there is no danger, then the movement continues.

When there is enough food, the animal can live its whole life in its small territory, if there is a shortage, it begins to migrate. Sometimes dressing kept at home as a pet, can often be seen Photo playing with people animal... Caring for him is no different from that of a ferret. The owners of such an exotic animal celebrate this curious and good-natured disposition.

Feeding dressings

Bandages are omnivores, but they love meat more. They hunt rodents: gerbils, voles, ground squirrels, hamsters. Often then they settle in their burrows. Less often, a bird or small vertebrates can become prey: a snake, a lizard.

They will not refuse, and eat eggs, berries or fruits of trees. Living in vegetable gardens, they eat the pulp of melons and watermelons. At home, they are given milk, cheese, cottage cheese, bread and raw chicken.

Reproduction and life expectancy

Life expectancy in nature is 6-7 years, in captivity they live up to almost 9. The mating season (rut) lasts from June to August. The male, at the sight of the female, beckons her with pigeon cooing. The process itself does not take much time, and after that the female leaves.

As of today, no descriptions, how dressing chooses a partner from all animals of its kind. Most likely, it depends on the proximity of one or the other applicant.

Pregnancy lasts up to 11 months, this happens because the development of the fetus does not begin immediately, but after the "rest" of the egg. Little bandaging puppies are born up to 8 pieces. They are blind with their ears flattened facing forward.

But after a couple of hours they are already starting to stick out perpendicularly. Babies are almost naked, only covered with sparse whitish hairs. On the dark skin of a puppy- dressings you can see a drawing that looks like how adult color animal.

Well-formed claws are already visible on the legs. Eyes are cut in puppies by dressing at 40 days, and breastfeeding stops after 1.5 months. After another two weeks, they set off on an independent life. In captivity, males are involved in raising babies.

Young animals grow very quickly, and already at 3 months the female reaches the age of puberty. Males lag behind and can become fathers only after a year. In the 20th century, the number of this animal fell sharply.

This is not due to the value of his fur, but to the plowing of the fields, where the dressing habitat was. The use of chemicals to exterminate rodents has deprived them of food, and population growth is directly dependent on the food supply.

Hunting for dressing is prohibited and its life is being studied for breeding a shrinking species in special receptacles. Now this is quite problematic, because in captivity, dressings breed with great reluctance.

Kira Stoletova

Ferret Dressing is very similar in appearance to the common ferret, but it is not so common in the wild.

The Bandage ferret is considered a predator, but this does not prevent him from maintaining good relations with people. That is why this particular type of animal quickly gained its popularity as a pet.

Habitat

In nature, the ferret Bandage lives in the low-lying part of the mountains at a level of 3-4 km from the ground.

You can find these animals not far from their holes or directly in their home. These small animals live on the territory of the Baltic Peninsula and partly on the lands of China. Russia is another place that these predatory animals have chosen.

Ferret Bandage leads an active nocturnal lifestyle, sleeps during the daytime.

This animal lives in parks, vineyards, vegetable gardens. He treats people positively, because he gets used to the fact that they are always around. The predator is very smart, he builds several houses in different places on the territory of about 500 m. He does this for his convenience and safety. A large number of houses allows the animal to hunt freely and successfully hide from predators.

Description and nutrition

Outwardly, as already mentioned, the bandage ferret is very similar to its relative, the common ferret. On average, the length of the animal's body is 28-35 cm. The tail reaches 13-17 cm in length. The body of a ferret has an average weight of 300-700 g. The ears of the rodent are large, have a rounded shape and white stripes are drawn on the tips.

The animal's muzzle is slightly flattened. On the head, as well as on the ears, there is a white stripe. The ferret has a thick, smooth coat. By color, the predator of the Bandage breed differs from the usual species of ferrets. The coat shimmers with brown, yellow, black, white. In the photo, she does not seem as bright as live.

Ferret Ligation prefers small prey in its diet, those animals that live in burrows or on tree trunks. The prey can be a mouse, gopher, jerboa, hamster, gerbil. In hunting, the main assistant of rodents is scent. The animal can climb up to 600 m along the burrow without a single exit to the outside. Also, this type of rodent loves to dilute its daily diet with fruits, for example, melon, watermelon, pumpkin or various types of wild berries.

Lifestyle

The bandage is active while hunting at night. If there is no prey, the animal behaves calmly. The ferret has long claws, with the help of which it digs holes. If the strength of the claws is not enough, the animal also connects its teeth to work. Bandaging marks can be recognized by the following criteria:

• If you come across a bandage track in the sand, it should look like a common ferret's footprint.
• Ferret ligation does not leave claw marks on firm ground.
• The rodent of this breed is so nimble and agile that you can often find a footprint on which there will be prints of all four paws at once.

Thanks to its developed hunter skills, the animal can get at least 4 carcasses within an hour. In rare cases, Bandage goes hunting with a fox. The redhead frightens small rodents, they hide in burrows from fright, and the ferret has an excellent opportunity to catch its prey.

When Ferret Bandage senses a foreign smell, hearing, scent and sight are strained as much as possible. To avoid meeting a predator, the animal stands on two legs, arch its back as much as possible and stretches out its neck. He does this in order to cover as much territory as possible. The look becomes vicious, the tail is pressed.

Reproduction

Rodents reach puberty at the age of 7-12 months. Males are able to successfully fertilize a female for an average of 5-7 years. The female can bear and give a healthy offspring within 3-4 years of life.

1. Peace. This period lasts from the first pregnancy (or when heat is interrupted) until the second heat occurs. During this period of time, no changes occur in the female's body.
2. Before the start of the sexual hunt. This period falls in winter, around February, and lasts about 10-15 days. During this cycle, the female and male become sexually mature.
3. Sexual hunting. This period of sexual activity falls in the spring, when day begins to prevail over night. This time falls mainly in the middle of March. Females, which first reached sexual maturity, go out to hunt a little later than the rest, around the end of April. By and large, a female's hunt depends on many factors. If the female is sick, exhausted, or living conditions before the hunt were unfavorable, she will go out to hunt much later than the rest of the females.
4. After the hunt. During this period, the female bears the fetus. After giving birth, the female's body returns to its previous state. If mating did not occur or there was an abortion, at this stage the girl, after a short period of time, is in heat again.

In places where dressings are bred, there are about 5 females per male. Mating animals is recommended in the daytime, preferably in the morning. Sexual intercourse lasts a minimum of 15 minutes and a maximum of 2 hours. After the morning mating for the evening, the male can again be bred with the female.