Ferrets differ in irrepressible energy. Wild ferrets are known as dangerous, fearless predators, ready to defend their own against animals much larger than themselves. In this, their image is in common with other representatives of Mustela. Home ferrets are like hyperactive, curious, playful creatures.
Three species, in Eurasia and North America; In Russia there are two types: forest, or dark, the horseradish (Latin Mustela putorius) and steppe, or light, horos. Body length in males is up to 50 cm, in females – up to 40; Length of the tail – up to 18 cm. Since antiquity, the albino form of the dark chorus is fog. Bred 2000 years ago in Southern Europe and for a long time replaced the cat, it was also used for hunting rabbits. It has a calm, non-aggressive temper.
Adult ferrets in nature lead a single way of life. Predators. At the forest ferret the main food object is small rodents, especially gray vole. Steppe ferret destroys and larger rodents – ground squirrels, hamsters, as well as pisch. Close to the houses are attacked by poultry houses.
Pregnancy occurs 2-3 times a year, in one litter to 15 puppies. Puppies are born blind and helpless, their mother feeds milk, and already from two weeks feeds ordinary food. In nature, live on average 3-4 years, with home maintenance – 5-7 years, rarely live up to 8.
In zoology and fur farming furo is called only ferret-albino. The origin of the furo for a long time remained a mystery to science. It has been hypothesized that furo is a special domesticated form of forest (black) or steppe (light) chorus, or a hybrid between them, or in general a separate species – the so-called “African ferret”.
In the 1970s, scientists (including D. Ternovsky) proved that furo is an albino form of a black ferret. For example, they have the same diploid number of chromosomes (40), and the studied and first described karyotype of a light ferret has 38. The newest method of studying the fine structure of chromosomes convincingly confirmed the morphological identity of karyotypes of furo and black ferrets, their difference from light. The biological similarity between furo and black ferret is also confirmed by the same term of pregnancy (40-42 days), which is shorter in light (37-38 days).
