Kolonok - Beket
Kolonok.
Introduced in 1941 from Russia. The fur of the kolonok is reddish-yellow in winter and reddish-red in summer, with grayish paws, a light belly, a brown upper side of the snout and whiskers, and a white tip on the snout, lips, chin, and 1-3 spots under the neck, sometimes with a spot extending from the chin down the neck; the length from the end of the snout to the base of the tail is 28-30 cm, and the tail length is 16.5 cm; the tail is fluffy in winter, almost like that of a marten, with a length (without fur) of more than half the body (14.5 cm).
The colonok's habitat depends on the availability of coniferous or deciduous forests rich in rodents, and water bodies overgrown with shrubs, with the presence of windfall and deadwood. The animal avoids open spaces and prefers dense taiga on mountain slopes or along rivers. It can be found at elevations up to 1600 m above sea level.
The kolonok is found in areas inhabited by humans, where it is attracted by domestic birds and the presence of mice and rats. Encounters with kolonoks in settlements, city outskirts, or fields are common, often related to forced migration due to hunger and a certain loss of caution.
The kolonok's diet includes small mammals, especially rodents (pikas, voles, muskrats, chipmunks, squirrels, jerboas, mice, and field voles). It may also prey on birds, frogs, insects, and their larvae, and it scavenges.
When possible, it catches hares resting and capercaillies or partridges sleeping in the snow by digging under the snow. When animal food is scarce, it switches to catching fish.
Its shelter can be practically any cover from rain and wind; a hollow, the decayed interior of a fallen trunk, a crevice in a rock, or an abandoned burrow.
Kolonoks are solitary animals, with the period of pairing occurring from March until the end of April. Males fight fiercely for females. The gestation period lasts 30-40 days, with a litter containing 4 to 10 offspring. The female prepares for their arrival by building a nest or den from fur, leaves, and dry grass.
Kolonoks are caring mothers, looking after their young. For some time, the young need not only milk but also warmth, as they are born hairless. Cold can be fatal to the litter. The female does not often leave the nest, only to hunt. She covers the round nest with moss or dry grass. Over the course of a month, the young develop actively: their eyes open, fur appears, and a characteristic mask develops on their snout. They begin to be fed animal food: small rodents and insects. Males do not care for the young. By autumn, the young gain independence under the care of the females and become solitary, leaving the nest. The lifespan of a kolonok in the wild does not exceed 2-4 years. In captivity, it can live up to 8-9 years.
Red Book
