Little nimble friend - Natalya Sekretareva

Name and surname:
Natalya Sekretareva

Country:
Israel

Web:
http://yolandysdreamworld.wix.com/home

Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/Yolandysdreamworld

Title:
Little nimble friend

Species:
Marbled polecat

Description:
Im loving to search inspiration by everyday walks in the Carmel Hai-Bar Nature Reserve in northern Israel. One day, I`ve met this beautiful wild animal. Marbled polecat is a very tricky, fast and unbelievably cute. I was very disappointed to know that this beautiful species now listed in the Red Book.
Length around 35cm in body and in tale about 20cm. Weigh from 350 to 750g. The limbs are short and claws are long and strong. Tail is long and dark brown with a yellowish dots, the overall pelage is short. Black and white mark the face, with a black stripe across the eyes and white markings around the mouth. Animal is yellow and heavily mottled with irregular reddish or brown spots.
Habitat stretches from the Balkans and the Middle East through Central Asia to the north-west of China. Inhabit steppe, semi-desert, foothills and mountains till 3000m.
Marbled polecats are most active during the morning and evening. When alarmed they will raise up on its legs while arching its back and curling its tail over the back, with the tail hair erect. If threatened expel a foul-smelling.
Their diet is rodents, birds, lizards, fish, frogs, snails, insects, and fruits.

Category:
Manual

Technique:
Drawing by ink & pastel

Year:
2016

As the author of illustration I have given permission and consent to be loaded in Wikimedia Commons with Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0.
Si