Marbled Polecat (Vormela peregusna pallidor) at Zoologischer Garten Magdebu

One of my favorite small carnivores - in point of fact, one of my favorite species full stop - the Marbled Polecat is rapidly becoming a very unusual sight in European collections, with very little breeding success over the past few years. As such I fully intended to enjoy viewing the individuals held at Magdeburg, knowing it could be the last time I see the taxon.

This image displays the male of the pair held onshow periscoping. This individual can be distinguished by the solid white ring and darker mask on the face, a darker body overall and rich orange-red markings on the lower belly.