Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Sub-Phylum: Vertibrata Class: Mamalia Sub-Class: Eutheria Order: Carnivora Super-Family: Canoidea Family: Mustelidae Sub-Family: Mustelinae Genus: Mustela Species: Mustela Putorius Furo Mustela Putorius Furo (Stinky Mouse Killing Thief) - The Ferret No one knows who domesticated the ferret, as physical evidence is inconclusive. There are many scientific theories and ancient hieroglyphic writings that show something but it is still a mystery. The timeline of the ferret is very difficult to follow. Some sources say that Egypt is the domesticator of ferrets but there is no proof. In actuality, evidence points away from this theory. Sure many hieroglyphic writings portray weasel like creatures but several animals can fit the description such as, the Mongoose who is actually native to the country. Actually, prior to the domestication of Cat, the Mongoose was held in high esteem for being the snake catcher and keeper of the house in Egypt and still is today. Also, there haven’t been any reports of ferret mummies discovered in Egypt, when Egyptians always mummified everything. The Egyptian hieroglyphics with these images date back to almost 500 years prior to the domestication of the Cat, which happened about 4,000 years ago. Domesticated Ferrets were evident only 2,500 years ago. Therefore, it is more likely to assume that the weasel like creatures were the Mongoose. The first known writings that reference an animal likely to be our fuzzy friend was around 400 BC by the Greek satirical writer Aristophanes (448 – 385 BC) in a series of at least four plays. Later, there was another written reference by the Greek naturalist and philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC) in 350 BC. Experts estimate that the ferret was introduced to North America a little more than 300 years ago but, to this day, no one knows with certainty, exactly who domesticated the Ferret. Where the Ferret pops up in History? Caesar Augustus (60 BC) – Received a request to sail several ferrets to the Balearic Islands to control a Rabbit population explosion. German Emperor Frederick II (1194 – 1250) & Mongol Ruler Genghis Khan (1167 – 1227) – Kept ferrets strictly to hunt small game or in other words, Ferreting. Queen Elizabeth I (1533 - 1603) – Had a pet ferret. In Britain, the first ferrets arrived around the 11th or 12th century. Ferrets were used to hunt down Rabbits, which was highly valued meat in Europe during this time. Also, during the American Revolutionary War, Ferrets were kept on board ships to patrol for rodents and even used to carry items such as wire, cable, and tools through small openings and tunnels to people. Leonardo Da Vinci even painted a portrait of a woman with a ferret. To see more of ferrets in history click on ... Ferrets in Ancient Art Ferrets in the Movies/TV: Kindergarten Cop Starship Troopers Star Trek: The Next Generation Beastmaster: The Movie Beastmaster: The TV Series The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of The Ring BACK TO MAIN PAGE