Stoat
Mustela erminea
Summary 3
The stoat (Mustela erminea) is a close relative to the weasel (Mustela nivalis). The stoat is a small animal that is very long and low to the ground. Measured from end to end they range from 6.7 inches to 12.8 inches. It has brown fur on the back side with white on the underside in the summer. In the winter the fur is almost all white. One can tell the stoat from the weasel because the stoat has a black tipped tail in both summer and winter. The weasel does not (see the artist rendition above). The stoat is also significantly larger than the Weasel. The tracks of the stoat are small ( about 1.5 inches long) (see photo). The scat is small, dark and rope shaped (see photo). The stoat can be found in Iron County Utah as well as almost all other counties in Utah.
Additional Information 4
The stoat (Mustela erminea), also known as the short-tailed weasel, is a species of Mustelidae native to Eurasia and North America, distinguished from the least weasel by its larger size and longer tail with a prominent black tip. The name ermine is often, but not always, used for the animal in its pure white winter coat, or the fur thereof. In the late 19th century, stoats were introduced into New Zealand to control rabbits. The stoats...
Sources and Credits
- (c) Anita, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/61897811@N00/378789884
- (c) Skyler Maynes, all rights reserved, uploaded by Skyler Maynes
- (c) Skyler Maynes, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
- Adapted by Skyler Maynes from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mustela_erminea
