Short-Tailed Weasel
Mustela erminea
Summary 3
The stoat (Mustela erminea), also known as the short-tailed weasel, is a mammal of the genus Mustela of the family Mustelidae native to Eurasia and North America, distinguished from the least weasel by its larger size and longer tail with a prominent black tip. Originally from Eurasia, it crossed into North America some 500,000 years ago, where it naturalized and joined the notably larger, closely related native long-tailed weasel.
The winter fur is very dense and silky, but quite closely lying and short, while the summer fur is rougher, shorter and sparse.[21] In summer, the fur is sandy-brown on the back and head and a white below. The division between the dark back and the light belly is usually straight. The stoat moults twice a year. In spring, the moult is slow, starting from the forehead, across the back, toward the belly. In autumn, the moult is quicker, progressing in the reverse direction. The moult, initiated by photoperiod, starts earlier in autumn and later in spring at higher latitudes. In the stoat's northern range, it adopts a completely white coat (save for the black tail-tip) during the winter period.[24] Differences in the winter and summer coats are less apparent in southern forms of the species.[27] In the species' southern range, the coat remains brown, but is denser and sometimes paler than in summer.[24]
Sources and Credits
- (c) Joe MacIndewar, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Joe MacIndewar
- (c) Mike Leveille, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Mike Leveille
- Adapted by Joe MacIndewar from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustela_erminea
