Striped Polecat: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Raccoons, Skunks and Badgers · day 2 of 7

Five facts

1. The first scientist to describe it only saw a drawing. Unsure what it was, he named it a 'weasel sloth'.
2. It looks a lot like a skunk, but it belongs to the weasel family. Its nearest living relative is the African striped weasel.
3. When cornered, it may play dead, lying limp with its stripes on show. It can keep this up for over 30 minutes until the attacker gives up.
4. To an enemy it shows its striped back. To a friendly polecat it shows the opposite side: its plain black belly.
5. It rarely drinks. It gets most of the water it needs from its food, and laps with its tongue when it does drink.

The quiz

1. What did the first scientist to describe it call it?

• Striped fox
• Weasel sloth (correct)
• Desert cat
• Little badger

Working only from a drawing, he named it a 'weasel sloth'.

2. What is the striped polecat's closest living relative?

• The striped skunk
• The meerkat
• The African striped weasel (correct)
• The raccoon

Genetics show it is closest to the African striped weasel, not to skunks.

3. How long can a striped polecat keep playing dead?

• A couple of seconds
• About 10 seconds
• Never more than a minute
• Over 30 minutes (correct)

It can keep it up for over 30 minutes until the attacker leaves.

4. What does it show another polecat during a friendly meeting?

• Its black belly (correct)
• Its striped back
• Its long claws
• Its open mouth

It shows its black belly to friends and its stripes to enemies.

5. Where does the striped polecat get most of its water?

• From drinking at rivers every night
• From licking dew off leaves
• From its food (correct)
• From sucking juice out of cactus

It rarely drinks and gets most of its moisture from what it eats.

Same week

All lessons

Nature documentaries