# Marbled polecat (*Vormela peregusna*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/marbled-polecat  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The marbled polecat (Vormela peregusna), also called the European marbled polecat, is a mammal in the family Mustelidae, subfamily Ictonychinae, within the order Carnivora. It is a small, terrestrial carnivore of grassland habitats with a cathemeral activity pattern. The marbled polecat is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 450.4 g – 542.5 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 8.9 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 8.92 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | grassland |
| Gestation | 56 days – 62 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 4 – 8 |
| Age at maturity | 2.99 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.1 |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Mustelidae
- genus: Vormela
- species: *Vormela peregusna* (Güldenstädt, 1770)

Synonyms: *Mustela peregusna*, *Peregusna peregusna*, *Vormela euxina*, *Vormela koshewnikovi*, *Vormela sarmatica*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the marbled polecat?

The marbled polecat is a mammal in the family Mustelidae and the order Carnivora. It belongs to the subfamily Ictonychinae.

### How heavy is the marbled polecat?

Adults weigh 450 g, and the highest value reported by our sources is 542.5 g. This places it in the small size class.

### What does the marbled polecat eat?

The marbled polecat is a carnivore by diet category and trophic level.

### How long does the marbled polecat live?

The marbled polecat has a lifespan of 8.9 years.

### How many young does the marbled polecat have?

Litters hold 5.76 young, with values from 4 to 8, and it has 1.1 litters per year. Gestation lasts 61 days.

### Where does the marbled polecat live?

The marbled polecat lives in grassland and is terrestrial, with a cathemeral activity pattern.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Marbled polecat (Vormela peregusna). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/marbled-polecat