Striped Polecat

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the Striped Polecat at stays in or beside Kruger National Park, uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park, Cederberg Wilderness Area, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Addo Elephant National Park and Marakele National Park and other reserves. A record means a host has seen it on the property or nearby, which makes these the places to base yourself; it is never a guarantee of a sighting on any given day.

The Striped Polecat is most recorded in Western Cape (52% of records), Northern Cape (24% of records), Eastern Cape (7% of records), based on 337 iNaturalist observations. 97 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the Striped Polecat on site or nearby.

The Striped Polecat is recorded throughout the year, so no month is the wrong month to look for it. For the parks where hosts record it most, these are the best seasons they give. Kruger National Park: Apr-Sep; uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Park: year-round, dry season May-Sep; Cederberg Wilderness Area: Sep-Apr, flowers Aug-Oct; Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park: Aug-Oct, flowers, Mar-May. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

The Striped Polecat (Ictonyx striatus) is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

The striped polecat (Ictonyx striatus) - also called the African polecat, zoril, zorille, zorilla, Cape polecat, and African skunk - is a member of the family Mustelidae that resembles a skunk (of the family Mephitidae). The name "zorilla" comes from the word "zorro", which in Spanish means "fox".