Vormela

Vormela is a genus of mustelid in the subfamily Ictonychinae containing a single living species, the marbled polecat (Vormela peregusna). It ranges from Southeast Europe, including the Balkans, through the Caucasus, the Levant, and Central Asia into northwestern Pakistan, southern Mongolia, and northern China, inhabiting open desert, semidesert, and semiarid rocky terrain in upland valleys and low hills, steppe country, and arid subtropical scrub forest. The marbled polecat measures 29 to 35 centimeters in head and body length, with a short muzzle and large conspicuous ears, black and white facial markings, and yellow fur heavily mottled with irregular reddish or brown spots; females weigh 295 to 600 grams and males 320 to 715 grams. Like other members of its subfamily, it can release a strong smelling secretion from anal sacs beneath the tail when threatened, and it is classified as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.