Mammal Web Page

Picture From: culter.colorado.edu:1030/niwot/niwot_ridge_lter_weasels.htm
Short Tailed Weasel/Ermine/Stoat
Kingdom:	Animal
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Musilida
Genus:	Mustela
Species:	Mustela erminia

Picture from: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/snapshots/weasel.html

Description:

The short tail weasel is 17-24 cm. long and weighs 200g.. It is brown in summer, and white in winter. It has a black tip tail, slender body, long neck, hairy paws in winter and bare paws in summer. Females are smaller than males. They have a triangular shaped head, slightly protruding ears, bright eyes that glow in the dark and long whiskers. There tails are 1/4 the length of their body.

Picture From: www.hybelos/statepark/images/short-5.jpg

Habitat:

Woodlands, Marshes, Shrubby fence rows, Moorlands, Lowland Farms, Shorelines, Mountains, Prairies and Foothills all over the world.

Picture From: www.washington.edu/.../mammalogy/ images/map/muermap/gif

Range:

It lives in the Arctic areas of N. America and Europe. They also live in Alaska, Canada, Africa, Asia, New Zealand and Eurasia. They live on mountains and Rocky Tundra. They prefer Moorlands, Marshes, Lowland Farms and Shorelines.

Picture From: www.uwgb.edu/.../pow2002/ pow20020120large01.jpg

Human Impact:

Bad Impact: Humans are causing a lot of habitat loss by cutting down trees that the weasel lives in. We are also killing a lot of Mice and Voles which are the Weasels 2 favorite/main things that they eat.

Picture From: www.nenature.com/Ermine.htm

Food:

They eat Mice, Squirrels, Rabbits, Hares, Birds, Insects, Voles, Carrion (Dead Meat), Berries, Rats, Ground Squirrels, Pika (a small rodent that lives in the mountains), Meadow Mice and Lemming. If there food source is low or scarce they will eat Birds, Eggs, Frogs and Insects. They are also a big threat to Poultry.

Picture From: www.wheelerimage.com/wheelerimage/ prowlerbg.jpg

Life Cycle:

They mate in January or February. They give birth in mid-April to early-May. They have a average of 4-12 baby's a year. When they are born there fur is white. When they are born they are blind and deaf until there are 5 weeks old.

ermine

Picture From: www.wh.wcsd.k12.ca.us/.../shorttailedweasel/ weasel3.jpg

Survival:

It needs Coniferous Forests, Deciduous Forest and Plain Grassland in their territory/range. These are also necessary for there survival. Their natural enemies are Owls, Martens, Hawks, Snakes, Cyotes and Larger Weasels.

Picture From: culter.colorado.edu:1030/niwot/niwot_ridge_lter_weasels.htm

Facts:

They have an order worse than a skunks. They release the smell when they feel threatened. It is caused by a liquid called musk. They use the musk to mark there territory. The females use there musk to attract males. They have a double coat to keep them warm. They have large guard fur on there underbelly. The weasel looks a lot like a Fisher, Marten and Mink. There closest relatives are the Skunk, Badger, Otter and the Wolverine. They can jump 5-6 ft. and run 8 miles per hour. They are born blind and 50% of there diet is mice. There territory is 4-96 square miles. Animals much bigger than the weasel are afraid of it. It is not afraid to take on a bear or a Porcupine.

Description	Habitat	Range	Food	Life Cycle
Survival	Facts	Human Impact	References	Links