Ferrets::Polecats

[The Skarzs]

Alright. Problem.
'Ferret' was a name made by humans for their tamed polecat pets.
In the wild, they are identical to the cuddly caged ferrets we have at home; only difference is the name. Why is it there are both polecats and ferrets in the Redwallverse when they are both the same species?
For example. Mattimeo: Scringe was a ferret and Malkariss was a polecat. 

[Tam and Martin]

Maybe just too show a little bit of difference between the two. For example, If you had to show difference between a person you would use different names or words to describe them.

[The Skarzs]

It is easier to say ferret than polecat
But there are no wild ferrets.
I don't know; just wanted to see what others thought of this.

[Vilu Daskar]

Maybe he's a pure ferret

[The Skarzs]

._.

PURE FERRETS WOULD BE POLECATS!!!
*Ahem.*
Forgive my outburst.

[Vilu Daskar]

OK

[The Skarzs]

Bah. Nobody cares about this topic.

[Vilu Daskar]

ecsept us

[The Skarzs]

True, since you did bother posting.

Any one know that wolverines are in the weasel family?

[MeadowR]

It confused me a bit actually, when he started writing about polecats. I thought, aren't they just ferrets? Maybe he intended it to mean they had slight differences to ferrets. I don't know...

[321tumbler]

I thought they were just in the same family.

[The Skarzs]

Nope. Polecats were raised as mousers and pest control, and earned the name ferrets for I don't know why.

[Starla1431]

Polecats and ferrets are different species,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_polecat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferret

There can be polecat and ferret hybrids though.

[Wylder Treejumper]

If you had actually read the articles, you wouldn't have posted this. The very first sentence of the "Ferrets" article: The ferret (Mustela putorius furo) is the domesticated form of the European Polecat.

[The Skarzs]

Maybe today ferrets can be considered a species due to domestic breeding, but in origin, they are polecats.