Polecat is the common name for mammals in the order Carnivora and subfamily Mustelinae. Polecats do not form a single taxonomic rank; the name is applied to several species broadly similar to European polecats, the only species living natively on the British Isles. In the United States, the term polecat is sometimes applied to the black-footed ferret, a native member of the Mustelinae, and loosely to skunks, which are only distantly related.