Izzy – female ferret (Mustela putorius furo)
The ferret (Mustela putorius furo) is the domesticated form of the European polecat, (Mustela putorius). The ferret’s Latin name means “thieving smelly weasel”.
Ferrets are sexually dimorphic, with males being upto twice the size of females.
Mentioned in the Old Testament Book of Leviticus, which many scholars date to the 7th Century BC, today, ferrets are still used for their traditional work - hunting rabbits – and are one of the world’s most popular pets.
A male ferret is called a hob; a female ferret is a jill. A spayed female is a jillette, a castrated male is a hobble, and a vasectomised male is known as a hoblet. A group of ferrets is known as a business, while a group of polecats is known as a puther.