weasel

a kind of animal – mammal – carnivore (= meat-eating) – mostly nocturnal (= active at night) – long, soft body with brown or yellowish-brown or reddish-grey on the upper side and cream or white on the under-side of the neck (throat) chest and on the belly (the colour of most species turn to pure white in winter), cone-shaped head, short, rounded ears, round, clear front-facing eyes, narrow, pointed snout (= mouth and nose part), whiskers (= stiff white hairs around the snout), short, sharp teeth, moderately long neck, supple body with the hind (back) part slightly arched, short legs with sharp claws on toes, short or long tail (depending on the species) musk scent (= foul smelling) glands at the back near the tail part; size: (depending on the species) from 6 inches to 1½ feet long, and weight: from 35 grams to 3 Kg (male larger than female); feeds on (eats) small animals – mice, rats, rabbits, voles, lizards, frogs, small snakes, and birds and bird eggs, and occasionally, berries and other fruit; lives for 1-3 years (in the wild) and about10 years (in captivity); 10-16 species, native to most parts of the world, (and some species introduced to Australia), except Antarctica

male ~~ dog, buck, jack, hob

female ~~ bitch, doe, jill

baby ~~ kit, kitten, pup (?)

group ~~ pack, gang, sneak, boogle, confusion, colony (?)

voice (call) ~~ trill, screech, squeal

home ~~ burrow, den

The name “weasel” includes:

<> stoat/ermine & short-tailed weasel {Mustela  erminea}

<> long-tailed weasel {Mustela frenata}

<> least weasel {Mustela nivalis} and the sub-species.

The terms ‘weasel’ and ‘weasel family’, in general, often includes all the closely related species.  They are: ‘weasels’, ‘stoat/ermine’, ‘mink’, ‘ferret’ and ‘polecat’.  And to further complicate the already confusing ‘large family’, some other species of the ‘weasel’ sub-family, such as ‘marten’, ‘fisher’, ‘sable’, etc. also look like (resemble) weasels when seen from a distance!  Those species, however, are big in size and have different lifestyles!!

The stoat/ermine and short-tailed weasel:

about 1 foot in length and 250 grams in weight; brown fur (coat) turns to pure white in winter; with a patch of black fur on the tip of the tail which stays black in all seasons; found in the Arctic regions of Europe, Asia and America, and introduced to Australia {The ‘short-tailed weasel’ that is found in the ‘old world’ – Europe, Asia and Africa – are known by the name ‘stoat’.}

The long-tailed weasel:

about 1-2 feet in length, including the 3-6 inch-long tail and 90-450 grams in weight; dark brown upper side and pale yellow under side, the tip of the tail black, fur (coat) turns white in winter but the tip of the tail is black in all seasons, found in the Americas

{Not all ‘long-tailed weasels’ change the colour of their coat; only those found in the northern range moult.}

the least weasel:

6-9 inches in length and 35-90 grams in weight; reddish-ginger upper side and white underside; fur (coat) turns white in winter; no black tip on the tail; found in Europe, Asia, North America and North Africa

{The ‘least weasel’ is the smallest of the entire weasel family, and also the smallest of all the ‘meat-eating’ animals!

Though it changes (moults) to white coat in winter (only in some regions), this weasel does not have the black tip on the tail.}

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