Mustela stromeri is an extinct medium-sized species of mustelid and was the earliest known true species of polecat. It is ancestral to all modern ferrets and polecats.[1]
| Mustela stromeri | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Mustelidae |
| Genus: | Mustela |
| Species: | †M. stromeri
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Mustela stromeri (Kormos, 1934)
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Putorius stromeri Kormos, 1934 | |
Taxonomy
editMustela stromeri, along with a number of other mustelid species, was first described by Hungarian geologist Tivadar Kormos in 1934, in the large village of Beremend.[2] Its smaller size suggests that the subgenus Putorius (ferrets and polecats) evolved at a more recent date, presumably during the Villafranchian.[3]
Mustela stromeri is ancestral to modern ferrets and polecats. The steppe polecat and European polecat evolved from Mustela stromeri in the Middle Pleistocene, whereas the black-footed ferret probably evolved from the former around 0.5 to 2 million years ago.[4]
Range
editMustela stromeri was a mustelid believed have lived in vast territories of central Eurasia until its extinction during the Middle Pleistocene.[5] Often, Mustela stromeri was found in Eastern Europe.[6] Its remains have been unearthed in Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Romania,[7] and date from the Villafranchian to the Günz II stadial.
Description
editAs Mustela stromeri has been only described by fragmentary remains, its appearance and behaviours are not well-known. It was smaller in size in comparison to modern ferrets and polecats, though medium-sized for mustelids overall.[7] Mustela stromeri's behaviour is disputed, as both kinds of polecats in Europe have contrasting habits.[3]
References
edit- ^ Harington, C.R. (2007). "Ancient Black-footed Ferrets and Something the Dog Brought In". Beringian Research Notes.
- ^ Kormos, Tivadar (1934). "Neue und wenig bekannte Musteliden aus dem ungarischen Oberpliozän". Folia Zoologica et Hydrobiologica (in German). 5 (2): 129–157.
- ^ a b Kurten, Bjorn (2017-07-05). Pleistocene Mammals of Europe. Routledge. pp. 98–99. ISBN 978-1-351-49948-4.
- ^ "Kansas Mammal Atlas: Black-footed Ferret". Kansas Animal Atlas. Sternberg Museum of Natural History, Fort Hays State University. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
- ^ Bourgeois, Gaëtan (2019-04-12). "Les mustélidae (carnivora) du pléistocène du sud de la France: Approche paléontologique, biométrique et de morphométrie géométrique des genres Gulo, Martes, Mustela et Meles". Archéologie et Préhistoire (in French). Université de Perpignan.
- ^ Rigaux, Pierre (2017). Protéger le Putois d'Europe (Mustela putorius) état de conservation en France et demande d’inscription sur la liste des mammifères protégés (in French). La Société Française pour l'Etude et la Protection des Mammifères. p. 6.
- ^ a b Nadachowski, Adam; Stefaniak, Krzysztof; Szynkiewicz, Adam; Marciszak, Adrian; Socha, Paweł; Schick, Piotr; August, Czesław. "Biostratigraphic importance of the Early Pleistocene fauna from Żabia Cave (Poland) in Central Europe". Quaternary International. 243 (1). Elsevier: 213.