Carnivora (Otter, Fox etc)

The coat of the fox is a mix of tawny-brown and grey with a long and often large bushy tail. It also has a long pointed snout and large pointed ears.  

9 A fully-grown badger has a grey-brown pelage overall, with darker fur to the limbs and occasionally the tail, a prominent black-and-white striped head, and usually white tips to the ears. The overall appearance is of a stocky animal, unmistakable to most people and not readily confused with any other native mammal. The hairs of the coat are usually banded, with a broad dark band between a short white tip and longer pale shank. The guard hairs are quite stiff and narrowly oval in cross-section. There is a degree of sexual dimorphism, with males (boars) being slightly larger and heavier than females (sows).  

Otters have a broad muzzle and large flattened head, and a thick tapering tail. Their fur colour is medium to rich dark brown and may appear black when wet. Some lighter grey areas may occur around the throat and underparts and there are often white patches around the upper lip and chin.  

Footprint:
Forefoot c. 20 x 22 mm, hindfoot c. 42 x 25 mm Bounding stride c. 300-500 mm between each group of four prints.

Stoats are characterised by their long, cylindrical shape and short legs, allowing them to pursue their small mammal prey into its burrow. They are chestnut-brown to sandy-brown in colour with a pale, creamy belly, separated by a distinct straight line on the flanks. The tail has a distinctive black tip. Partially white (ermine) stoats, giving a mottled appearance, have been seen as far south as Wiltshire and Essex, but so far none have been confirmed in Kent. Males are about half as heavy again as females.

A stoat is generally larger than a weasel, with paler brown dorsal fur compared to the darker brown weasel. Stoats have creamy belly fur separated by a straight flank line; weasels have whiter belly fur and an irregular flank line. Weasels’ tails are shorter than stoats and have no black tip.  

Footprint:
Forefoot (mm): c. 13 x 10 hindfoot: c. 15 x 13 Bounding stride (mm): c. 200-300 between each set of four prints.

The weasel is the smallest carnivore in Britain and is characterised by its long, cylindrical shape and short legs, allowing it to pursue small mammal prey into burrows. They have a chestnut-brown back and white belly demarcated by a wavy flank line (refer to the stoat account for other distinguishing features). Weasels in Britain do not turn white in winter.  

Footprint size is very variable:
Forefoot (mm): 25-40 x 30-35
Stride when bounding (mm): c. 400-600 between each set of four prints.

The polecat-ferret and feral ferret are both ferrets and can be distinguished from a true polecat if one or more of the following features are present: 

• body fur is paler than the wild polecat type (taking account of seasonal pelage variations) 
• dark fur on the face does not reach the naked skin surface around the nostrils 
• pale cheek patches and frontal band are often very extensive and contrast poorly with the darker facial mask, which may be absent, taking into account seasonal variations 
• pale throat patch is 50 mm or more in length 
• polecat-ferret has one or more pale furred paws 
• scattered white guard hairs occur over the body of polecat-ferret, especially on hindquarters and tail

The feral ferret and polecat-ferret are similar in size and proportions to the polecat. The feral ferret skull also has a distinctive ‘waist’ between the eye sockets that is not present in a pure polecat.

The polecat has a long sinuous body and short legs. It has dark brown guard hairs which overlie pale underfur, giving it a two-tone appearance particularly in winter, when the whole animal becomes lighter in colour. Its most distinctive feature is the ‘banditmask’ pattern of dark and light facial markings. This is thought to be aposematic colouration, warning other animals of the pungent smell it will release from its paired anal glands as a defence.  

The American mink is a non-native medium-sized semi-aquatic mustelid, with dark brown to almost black fur and a white chin patch. On some individuals the white markings extend further down the throat and underside. Mink are sometimes confused with otter but are very much smaller with a short bushier tail, roughly half the body length, as opposed to an otter’s large tail with a flat broad base. Mink have a more pointed muzzle reminiscent of a ferret, whereas otter muzzles are broader with a large flattened head reminiscent of a common seal. Mink swim with their head and body high out of the water, whereas an otter will swim with only its head and part of the tail visible. Mink may also be confused with polecat-ferret in locations where they co-exist, as they are of a similar size and can occupy the same habitat. Mink are marginally smaller and have a dark face with a white chin spot, unlike polecat-ferrets which have a white snout with a white band above the eyes.