Description
Scientific Name: Mustela nivalis
The body of the Least weasel is extremely flexible, thin, significantly elongated, and has a blunt-muzzled head that is no thicker than the neck. Compared to the size of their heads, their eyes are small, protruding, and dark in colour. The tail makes up less than half of the body length, and the legs are both rather short. The soles are thickly hairy, and the feet feature sharp, dark-colored claws. Although the skulls of huge male weasels and little female stoats frequently overlap in size, the skull is generally smaller than that of the stoat. Winter coats have short, thick fur that fits snugly. Fur is smooth and silky in northern variants but coarse in southern versions. Summer fur is much drier, sparser, and shorter. Although the upper portions of the summer fur are black, they can also be light, pale tawny, sandy, or dark-tawny depending on where you are.
Habitat
The Holarctic circumboreal distribution of the least weasel encompasses much of North Africa and Europe, Asia, and parts of northern North America. This animal can be found in a wide range of habitats, although it prefers locations with an abundance of prey and good cover, such as moors, marshes, woodlands, grasslands, mountains, and sand dunes.
Behavior
The Least weasels live solitary all year round except during breeding season. They are social animals that establish dominance hierarchies based on gender, with older males dominating younger males and females. Because least weasels must feed frequently to avoid becoming hungry, it’s common to see them foraging at any time of day. They frequently kill larger animals than themselves yet only eat a few grams of flesh at each meal, hence they frequently practice food caching. Around the den’s entrance, latrine sites and caches are concealed. With the help of anal gland secretions, a specific animal leaves scent trails around a den location. These glands secrete a foul-smelling fluid that will dissuade an enemy when surprised or trapped. Additionally, least weasels occasionally engage in a “weasel war dance” that involves a sequence of twists and leaps. This behavior is frequently accompanied by barking, an arched back, rigid limbs, and the erection of their caudal and dorsal hairs. Although weasels of all ages can execute the dance, the younger ones, especially kits when playing with their siblings, do it more frequently.
Diet
In addition to eating tiny rodents like mice and voles, least weasels also eat fish, frogs, fish eggs, lizards, salamanders, and carrion.
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