Long-tailed, Short-tailed, and Least Weasels

There is often confusion about long-tailed, short-tailed, and least weasels. As the habitat post will explain, they are different kinds of weasels. They are different species, in the same genus. I'll go into depth with the scientific classification here:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Caniformia
Family: Mustelidae
Subfamily: Mustelinae
Genus: Mustela
[scientific classification from Wikipedia.com]

Least weasel: mustela nivalis

If you were to think of a weasel, it probably would be a least weasel

-Known as simply 'weasel' in the UK
-Smallest in mustela and carnivora
-Fierce hunters; can kill a large rabbit or many mice quickly
-Size in relation to geography ranges to a great extent

Long-tailed weasel: mustela frenata

Long-tailed weasel with snowshoe hare

-Also known as the bridled weasel or big stoat
-One of the largest mustelids
-Age quickly: weaning process begins at three weeks, and females sexually mature at three or four months
-Lives mostly in the US, but also in parts of Canada and South America

Short-tailed weasel: mustela erminea

Short-tailed weasels are noted for their yellowish underbellies

-Known as the ermine or stoat
-Well-known for its silky white winter coat and rougher brown summer coat
-Collective noun is gang or pack
-Skull is narrower than other weasels

All of these weasels have a conservation status of Least Concern.

Cultural Significance

 In Macedonia, weasels were considered good omens! But weasels have long been seen as negative: sleazy, sneaky, snarky (hey, what's with the etymology?). In Greece, which was right next to Macedonia, they turned to the etymology for their superstition. They believed that weasels were disgruntled brides that had been turned into animals. A few tall tales was all it took to form the superstition that weasels destroyed wedding dresses and were bad luck to soon-to-be brides. (Wikipedia.org) According to the encyclopedia Wakan Sansai Zue, "the cry of a weasel was a harbinger of doom" (Wikipedia.org). Weasels were and are bad luck in many cultures: many Native American tribes believed that if you cross the path of a weasel, you will die soon. In Defoe, they are portrayed as evil, and also in Wind of the Willows.

Hunting Behavior

Weasel performing "the dance of death," click here forYoutube video

Weasels are predators! Sara, let me just say that the word "weasel" derives from the Anglo-Saxon word "weatsop," or bloodthirsty animal. There have been myths about weasels being driven to killing sprees by stomach parasites for a long time, but it's all nonsense. The myth probably came from the weasel's strong predatory instinct, which is triggered by movement (miwildlife.org). Least weasels easels can kill an entire colony of mice when this instinct is triggered. Weasels are solitary and hunt alone, except for mothers of juveniles (www.ytpe.org.uk). They mostly eat mice and voles, but eat other rodents such as chipmunks shrews. See the post entitled "Diet" for elaboration. They do hunt rabbits, but the males are more likely to do so, as they tend to be better hunters. Weasels can usually run faster than rabbits underground, and show amazing stamina. If aboveground, they will preform "the dance of death" (karlshuker.blogspot.com). This is jumping around, going to the ground, rolling, etc., effectively hypnotizing the rabbit or other small prey animal, which stands, apparently passive. Many rabbit owners use this state to trim their claws.

Breeding and Upbringing

Please note: this information is from www.ypte.org.uk.

The only time adult males and females associate is during mating season. This happens in the spring. Males may travel far from their territory during this time, while females stay in their own territory. The gestation period is around eight weeks. A litter of kittens (yes, kittens) is born in April or May, and sometimes another will be born in July or August. The kittens are born in a burrow lined with leaves or down. Their eyes open at three weeks and they are weaned a few weeks later. The juveniles and mother hunt together until the kittens can hunt for themselves at around eight weeks.

Photo by Dan Arndt, from here.

 In the image, a litter of nine kittens is in the open for probably the first time. The mother is a few feet away. When they are about twelve weeks old, the mother drives them away to find territory. If they are born early in the year, weasels will reach sexual maturity by summer.

Weasel Humor

Diet

Weasels are carnivores (nhptv.org)! That means they eat nothing but meat except in worst-case scenarios. According to esf.edu, they usually eat voles and mice but will go for larger prey such as "moles, shrews, tree squirrels, chipmunks, and snowshoe hares. [They] may also consume insects, earthworms, frogs, snakes, birds and bird’s eggs, especially when small mammals are scarce." Their strong climbing and swimming (water vole, anyone?) help catch their prey. The long--tailed weasel's* hunting technique is to pounce on the prey and bite their neck repetitively, severing crucial blood vessels in the neck (esf.org). Weasels sometimes kill too much prey and will "cache" the extra (miwildlife.org). Least weasels* have extraordinary appetites and eat almost 50% of their body weight daily (miwildlife.org).

*See habitat post for info on least, long-tailed, and short-tailed weasels.

Habitat

Weasels live primarily in North America, Europe, Northern South America, and Indonesia-area islands (image from en.academic.ru), but live anywhere except Antarctica and Australia. In North America, long-tailed, short-tailed (or ermine [like Ethel, Sara]), and least weasels are all over the place (motherearthnews.com). They sleep in burrows, but don't usually dig them themselves; they take over nests of prey and make a few modifications (ypte.org.uk). Weasels live in "woods, coniferous forests, sand dunes, grasslands, and moors" (animals.pawnation.com).

Photo from kevinunderhill.typepad.com

Weasels are very interesting. I'll be writing about them in five subtopics: habitat, diet, breeding, hunting behavior, and cultural significance.