---
title: "Steppe Polecat"
description: "Mustela eversmanii — Mammals. The steppe polecat (Mustela eversmanii), also known as the white or masked polecat, is a species of mustelid native to Central and Eastern Europe and Central and East Asia."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/steppe-polecat
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Steppe Polecat

> Mustela eversmanii — Mammals. The steppe polecat (Mustela eversmanii), also known as the white or masked polecat, is a species of mustelid native to Central and Eastern Europe and Central and East Asia.

- Scientific name: *Mustela eversmanii*
- Category: `mammals` (Mammals)
- Habitats: `grassland` (Fields & meadows)
- iNaturalist observations: 125
- Wikidata: [Q732127](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q732127)
- iNaturalist taxon: [74670](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/74670)

## Names

- en: Steppe Polecat
- de: Steppeniltis
- es: Turón de la estepa
- fr: Putois des steppes
- it: Mustela eversmannii
- nl: Steppebunzing
- pl: Tchórz stepowy

## Countries with the most observations

RU (49), AT (13), CN (11), KZ (11), HU (10), MN (9), RO (3), UA (3)

## Summary

The steppe polecat (Mustela eversmanii), also known as the white or masked polecat, is a species of mustelid native to Central and Eastern Europe and Central and East Asia. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because of its wide distribution, occurrence in a number of protected areas, and tolerance to some degree of habitat modification. 
It is generally of a very light yellowish colour, with dark limbs and a dark mask across the face. Compared to its relative, the European polecat, the steppe polecat is larger in size and has a more powerfully built skull.
The steppe polecat is a nomadic animal which…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steppe_polecat

## Photo

![Steppe Polecat](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/steppe-polecat/medium.jpg)

Photo: James Eaton · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/198783921

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/steppe-polecat?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).