“It’s almost as though you have an animal in liquid form,” explains Dr. Angela Horner. “They have a really well-adapted body design to move rapidly through a tunnel.” And in this clip from PBS’s Nature: The Mighty Weasel, the ferret‘s speed and flexibility are both demonstrated.
Watch in slow motion as the ferret lowers and stretches itself out, making its body 30% longer for traveling through small tunnels. And this burrowing mustelid doesn’t really lose speed from the adjustment thanks to its shorter-than-average legs. This combination allows them to spend 90% of their time underground, which all helps when you’re pursuing rats, mice, rabbits, and voles.
Watch this next: Honey Badger Houdini.
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