Mascot of the Internet Publishing winter 2002 class, the weasel is a predatory mammal with a long slender body, short legs, and rounded ears. Depending on the species, their weight ranges from 2 1/2 oz. to 12 oz. In summer, their fur is brown above and white below. In winter, their fur is all white. In the two larger species, their tails are black tipped year round. Weasels are the occasional invaders of basements, wall voids, and human living spaces. But it is rodents they are after.
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Summer Back and sides
of animal: light brown. Winter
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Weasel is the common name for any of several small,
fur-bearing, carnivorous mammals that are most abundant in North America and
Europe but also occur in South America, northern Africa, and Asia.
The
various species of weasel are similar in appearance and habits. They are lithe,
slender animals with elongated necks, muscular, snakelike bodies, and short
legs. They vary from 13 to 40 cm (5 to 16 in) in length, and the male is larger
than the female. Their heads are small and triangular with narrowed snouts.
Nearly all weasels are brown above and white beneath, and those found in
northern regions turn white in the winter (see ERMINE). In warmer regions
weasels retain their brown coat throughout the year.
The weasel, which
preys on mice, rats, birds, and rabbits, is largely nocturnal. Extremely agile,
it attacks animals larger than itself. Although sometimes a serious threat to
poultry, it also feeds on rodents around farms. When young, the weasel can be
tamed. The female makes a nest of straw, leaves, and moss in a ground crevice or
a hollow tree. A litter has two to twelve young.
Among the best-known
species are the ermine, known also as the stoat, and the longtail weasel, of the
United States and Mexico. Close relatives are the mink, polecats, and ferrets.
The black-footed ferret, the largest and most endangered weasel native to the
American prairies, was nearly extinct until a captive breeding program was
started. The success of reintroduction is not yet clear.
Weasels belong
to the family Mustelidae and make up the genus Mustela. The ermine
is classified as Mustela erminea, the longtail weasel as Mustela
frenata, the mink as Mustela vison, and the black-footed ferret as
Mustela nigripes.