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Mustela erminea

(Short-Tailed Weasel)

Overview

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Mammal. The stoat is an intelligent, versatile predator specialising in small mammals and birds. Fearless in attacking animals larger than itself, and adapted to surviving periodic shortages by storage of surplus kills. Mustela erminea has been used to exterminate pest rodents and rabbits on small islands with few alternative prey (King 1989), but only in certain conditions which are hard to meet. Belief that they could control rabbits was the reason for bringing them to New Zealand, but the islands were too large and alternative prey too abundant. Formerly an important source of white fur (ermine) harvested by trappers in Russia and Canada.

Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in Chinese:

Bai-You, Sao-Xue

Common Names in Dutch:

Hermelijn

Common Names in English:

Ermine, Short-Tailed Weasel, Stoat, Weasel

Common Names in French:

Hermine

Common Names in German:

Grosswiesel, Hermelin

Description

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Physical Description

Species Mustela erminea

Brown on back, white on belly, tail with conspicuous black tip . Long, thin body with strong sexual dimorphism - in New Zeland the adult males average 320 g and females 200 g, they are much smaller elsewhere in the world. May be white or partially so in winter in colder areas. Swims and climbs well.

Habitat

Lives anywhere it can find prey , but vulnerable to attack by raptors , so keeps under cover and prefers forest or patches of bush or hedgerows to open pasture. Habitat choices similar in native and introduced ranges .

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 3,180 meters (0 to 10,433 feet).Mean = 210.200 meters (689.633 feet), Standard Deviation = 349.250 based on 9,463 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre.

Biome: agricultural areas, coastland, disturbed areas, natural forest , planted forests, riparian zones, scrub/shrublands, tundra , wetlands

Ecology: Introduced to New Zealand later than most other introduced predators (King 1984), after serious damage to native birds had already been done, stoats contributed to the collective toll, especially in more remote areas of South Island. However, Mustela erminea has recently been shown to be responsible for catastrophic losses of kiwi chicks in most years (Basse et al 1999), and of hole-nesting forest birds in southern beech forests during periodic mouse irruptions (O'Donnell 1996). Cost of research and management of stoats in New Zealand runs into millions of dollars a year.

Biology

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Reproduction

Placental , with 9-10 month compulsory delay in implantation which divides gestation into two, 2-week periods in different calendar years. Ovulation induced by coitus; ovulation rate averages 8-10 every year, range 1-18, but litter size cut down by progressive intra-uterine mortality when food scarce, to zero in extreme conditions (King et al 2003). Stoats of both sexes must survive to about 14 months old to leave surviving offspring.

Females have extreme juvenile precocity, mated as nestlings but do not produce the young until following season . Males mature at 10-11 months. Limited to a single litter a year, but in optimal conditions it can be large (10-13 young born). Average life span

Taxonomy

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Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 28-Oct-2003

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Mustela

There are approximately 170 species in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

M. africana (Tropical Weasel) · M. africana africana · M. africana stolzmanni · M. allegheniensis · M. altaica (Mountain Weasel) · M. altaica raddei · M. altaica temon · M. americana · M. arizonensis · M. aureoventris · M. buwaldi · M. canigula · M. cicognanii · M. cicognanii cicognanii · M. erminea (Ermine) · M. erminea aestiva · M. erminea alascensis · M. erminea anguinae (Vancouver Island Ermine) · M. erminea arctica · M. erminea bangsi · M. erminea celenda (Prince of Wales Island Ermine) · M. erminea cicognanii · M. erminea cicognanni · M. erminea cocognanii · M. erminea erminea · M. erminea fallenda · M. erminea gulosa · M. erminea haidarum (Queen Charlotte Islands Ermine) · M. erminea hibernica · M. erminea initis · M. erminea invicta · M. erminea kadiacensis (Ermine) · M. erminea minima · M. erminea muricus · M. erminea nippon · M. erminea olympica · M. erminea polaris · M. erminea richardsonii · M. erminea salva · M. erminea seclusa (Ermine) · M. erminea semplei · M. erminea stabilis · M. erminea streatori · M. erminia cicognanii · M. eversmanii · M. eversmanii hungarica · M. eversmanni · M. eversmanni pallidus · M. eversmannii (Steppe Polecat) · M. eversmannii amurensis · M. felipei (Colombian Weasel) · M. felipeide la (Colombian Weasel) · M. foina · M. frenata (Long-Tailed Weasel) · M. frenata agilis · M. frenata alleni · M. frenata altifrontalis (Washington Long-Tailed Weasel) · M. frenata arthuri · M. frenata boliviensis · M. frenata costaricensis · M. frenata effera · M. frenata frenata · M. frenata goldmani · M. frenata inyoensis · M. frenata latirostra · M. frenata latriostra (Long-Tailed Weasel) · M. frenata leucoparia · M. frenata longicauda (Prairie Long-Tailed Weasel) · M. frenata longicuda · M. frenata macrophonius · M. frenata munda · M. frenata neomexicana · M. frenata neomexicanus · M. frenata nevadensis · M. frenata nicaraguae · M. frenata nigriauris · M. frenata novaboracensis · M. frenata noveboracensis · M. frenata occisor · M. frenata olivacea (Southeastern Weasel) · M. frenata oregonensis · M. frenata oribasus · M. frenata panamensis · M. frenata peninsulae (Long-Tailed Florida Weasel) · M. frenata perda · M. frenata perotae · M. frenata primulina (Long-Tailed Weasel) · M. frenata pulchra · M. frenata spadix · M. frenata tropicalis · M. frenata washingtoni · M. frenata xanthogenys · M. furo · M. hodgsoni · M. horsfieldii · M. itatsi · M. kathiah (Yellow-Bellied Weasel) · M. kathiah kathiah · M. laevis · M. leucopus

Bibliography

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More Info

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 12, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

Last Revised: 2008-11-03