A Marbled Polecat is Spotted in Mongolia! - (Bonus) Observation of the Week, 2/2/21
Our (Bonus) Observation of the Week is this Marbled Polecat (Эрээн хүрнэ), seen in Mongolia by @otgonbayar_tsend!
In the grand tradition of so many Observations of the Week, the observer - Otgonbayar Tsend - documented a species that is not in their main primary field of study, which I think speaks to the value of just being observant and curious about nature in general.
Otgonbayar is an ornithologist and currently works at a wildlife science and conservation center in Mongolia, but tells me he also “likes to take pictures of nature and wild animals.” When researching relict gulls in the western regions of Mongolia, he came across this marble polecat and was able to snap a few photos. “This animal was photographed in a very short time because it was moving so fast,” he recalls.
The only species in the genus Vormela, marbled polecats range from Eastern Europe to Central Asia and prefer dry, non-mountainous habitats. They’ll dig their own dens or utilize those made by other mammals and prey on various small mammals, both vertebrates and invertebrates. But due to loss of habitat and hunting in some areas, the IUCN lists this species as Vulnerable.
Otgonbayar (above, on the right) has only recently started using iNaturalist, and is part of a growing number of users in Mongolia (see below), led by @oyuna, @gundegmaa, and many others.
For his part, Otgonbayar says “I’ve learned more as I use iNaturalist. I'm happy to have the opportunity to share what I know with others, in addition to recognizing what I don't know.”
- Take a look at some pretty fantastic footage of marbled polecats.
- Lots of amazing plants in the Flora of Mongolia project, check out its most-faved observations.
- Having been born just a *bit* too early for the Pokemon craze, I had no idea Otgonbayar’s photo would make such a connection on social media when I shared it, but apparently this creature looks quite a bit like Zigzagoon.
Comments
Zigzagzoon is one of my favorite pokemon! Cute!
What a superb Polecat and a great image of it! Thank you very much Otgonbayar!
I think Zigzagoon is supposed to be a Raccoon Dog. Perhaps Furret is a closer match?
wow!
Those are the best of mustelids! It's a pity it's a rare species both in wild and on iNat.
Amazing photo and story! Thanks for sharing via iNat!
Amazing! Such a cool observation. I had no idea marbled polecats existed. The photo of Otgonbayar and friend is incredible too. Welcome to iNaturalist!
The "relic gulls" hyperlink links to the Wikipedia page for "relics" which have nothing to do with gulls, but otherwise awesome post!
@zdanko it went to "relict" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relict), not "relic." It now goes to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relict_(biology).
Shouldn't it go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relict_gull as it's an official species name and they're studied in the region? Or that wasn't an intention?
Ah, I misinterpreted the original text from Otgonbayar. Will fix.
the second picture is GORGEOUS!
Stunning observation! Awesome that the biodiversity of this region is being uploaded to iNat for all to see :-)
This is the first observation I've looked at on iNaturalist as I've only joined today. Wonderful to see a photo of a beautiful animal I was not aware existed. A stunning photo. Thank you.
Wonderful!!! Thank you and congratulations from Honduras!!!
Great photo of such an elusive creature.
Absolutely Amazing!!
I think it's a very
good pic thx
Great observation and pic, showing the value of "bycatch" observations! Greetings from Uruguay
What a cute little fella. Not sure I have ever heard of this little Polecat before. Thanks for sharing it.
Awesome!
Fantastic! Thanks for this post
Add a Comment