Description
Scientific Name: Mustela frenata
The endearing-looking Long-tailed Weasel is a mustelid species that is widespread throughout America and southern Canada. The long-tailed weasel has a short neck, long body, and small head with long whiskers. Its tail’s tip is black. Its undersides are covered in white to yellow fur, while the top of its body is covered in brown fur. It becomes white in the winter in its range’s northernmost regions. In the Southwest, long-tailed weasels have a white mask.
In the daytime, the Long-tailed weasel’s eyes are black, but at night, when they are illuminated by a spotlight, they glow a brilliant emerald green.
Habitat
With the exception of the majority of Arizona, southeast California, and Nevada, most of the United States is home to the long-tailed weasel. Additionally, it can be found throughout Central and South America as well as Canada and Mexico.
A wide range of habitats, including farming, thickets, open spaces, and woodlands, are home to long-tailed weasels. It typically resides close to a water sources.
Behavior
The long-tailed weasel lives alone, with the exception of the breeding season. It resides in abandoned mammal burrows, rotten logs, or caves formed by tree roots or rocks. Fur lines its grass and leaf-lined, fur-covered nest. Although it also appears during the day, the long-tailed weasel is most active at night. It doesn’t go into hibernation. The long-tailed weasel is a skilled swimmer and can climb trees. It makes a variety of vocalizations, such as trills, squeaks, squeals, and purrs. Additionally, during mating season and when it gets scared, it exudes a pungent scent. When its territory is attacked, it becomes extremely aggressive.
Diet
The Long-tailed weasels are carnivores. This species primarily consumes rodents, though it also occasionally consumes fruits, lizards, and small birds.
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