Striped+Polecat

Striped Polecats are sometimes called "African Skunks,” because they resemble skunks, are part of the weasel family, and are found in most of Southern Africa. They usually grow to be about 24 to 28 inches with their tails and weigh about 1 ½ to 3 lbs. Generally they are black on the underside, white on the tail, with stripes running from their heads down to their backs. Colors can vary depending on locations.

The polecat is a carnivore, and has thirty-four sharp teeth for getting through flesh and grinding meat. Their diet consists of small rodents, snakes, birds, amphibians, and insects. They have small stomachs forcing them to have to eat often, and having clawed paws helps with digging for meals. The striped polecat is a nocturnal animal, sleeping in brush or burrows from other animals. The gestation period for a polecat is about four weeks, when the polecats are born they are blind, deaf, and naked. Around one to five are born at time and a mother will protect them until they are able to protect themselves. The striped polecat is an aggressive and very territorial animal. It marks its territory through an anal spray. The spray is comparable to that of a skunk, the spray, released by anal stink glands, temporarily blinds their opponents also resulting in an intense burning sensation.