short tailed weasel
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Short-tailed Weasel Fact Sheet 1
Short-Tailed Weasel (Ermine)Mustela erminea
The short-tailed weasel (Mustela erminea)is the second smallest member of the weasel family. Like the long-
tailed weasel and its other relatives, the short-tailed weasel, also
known as the ermine, is a predator. The short-tailed weasel
occupies a wider variety of habitats than the long-tailed weasel,
which include wetlands, forests, and fields. It is trapped for its fur,
but not avidly.
Vermont Wildlife Fact Sheet
Physical Description
Like all members of the
weasel family, the short-tailed
weasel has a long, slender body,short legs, and a long neck. It can
grow to a length of seven to 13
inches and a weight of one toseven ounces. The male is
noticeably larger than the female.The short-tailed weasel is
capable of quick, agile
movements. The coat is reddishbrown on its back, head, sides
and tail. However, it is white in
color under the chin and on its
belly. The tip of its tail is black,similar to that of a long-tailed
weasel. In the summer an
excellent field marking, besidesthe obvious tail length, is that the
short-tailed weasel has a white
line down its hind legs and thelong tailed does not. In winter,
the short-tailed weasel will molt
to an all white coat, except for
the tip of its tail, which remainsblack. It is referred to as an
ermine in this color phase.
Life Cycle
Short-tailed weaselsbreed form late spring to early
summer, but development of theembryos does not begin until the
following spring. After mating,
the fertilized egg remains inlimbo through a process known
as delayed implantation. During
this process, all development of
the embryo ceases forapproximately eight to nine
months. After this time, the
fertilized egg is implanted intothe uterus wall and development
of the embryo begins. In March,
as the days begin to lengthen,
the development of the fetus willresume. This unique process is
thought to benefit the weasel byallowing the female to give birth
when environmental conditions
are at their most favorable.
After a total gestationperiod of 280 days, the young
are born in April and May.
A litter can range in size fromfour to 15 but averages six to
seven young, or kits. When thetiny weasels are born, they havefine white fur, and their eyes and
ears are sealed.
The kits grow rapidly. At
three weeks, they have a welldeveloped mane and their eyes
are open by five weeks. The
youngsters are soon travellingshort distances with their mother,
who has the responsibility ofraising the kits. Young males at
seven weeks are as big as their
mother and, by the eighth week,the male and female kits are able
to hunt on their own. The female
kits reach sexual maturity when
they are two months old, and it isnot uncommomn for them to
breed the first summer of their
lives. The male kits, however,do not mature until one year old.
Food Items
Like the rest of theweasel family, the short-
tailed weasel is a carnivore,
preying on a variety ofanimals. The short-tailed
weasel takes voles, shrews,
cottontail rabbits, rats,chipmunks and nesting
birds. Male short-tailed
weasels normally take larger
prey items than the females.Short-tailed weasels
will also store, or cache,
extra food for later use.When their preferred food
supply is low, they will eat
prey that is easier to catch,like fish, birds or insects. In
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Short-tailed Weasel Fact Sheet 2
summer, they also eat fruit
and berries.
Habits & Habitat
Short-tailed weasels can be
found in a variety of habitats
ranging from wooded areas tograsslands. Short-tailed weasels
require areas of heavy cover but
tend to avoid dense forests.Weasels will burrow, or build, a
nest in rock or wood piles, in a
hollow tree, or under a building.Often, rather than building their
own nest site, they will simply
take over one of their prey's.Weasels are not social animals.
With the exception of thebreeding season, it is rare to find
a male and female together.Although these fierce predators
are active during the day, they are
considered to be nocturnal. Theyare quite aggressive and will
defend their territories from any
intruder. They are skilled huntershaving great speed and agility.
They can also swim and climb.
Abundance
Short-tailed weasels arecommon throughout their range.
They prefer open woodlands and
transitional areas between forestsand fields located near a water
source.
History
The short-tailed weaselhas proven itself as an adaptable
species. As the landscape
changed over the last 150 years,
from intensive farming toabandonment, the short-tailed
population fluctuated, but has
remained an important species inVermonts ecological community.
Resource Utilization
Short-tailed weasels are
an important predator. They playa vital role in controlling
populations of rodents that might
otherwise damage agricultural
crops or transmit disease. Humansalso hunt them for their pelts. The
ermine's pelt (i.e. winter coat) is
considered to be of greater valuein the fur industry than its brown
summer pelage.
Management Efforts
Continuedmonitoring is conducted to ensure
that the short-tailed weaselremains healthy and abundant inVermont.
Illustration: W. Ferguson