User:Jaspergeli/Weasel

A weasel is a small, slender, carnivorous mammal related to, but generally smaller than, the stoat. It has brown fur with white underparts. It is native to both Eurasia and North America and in northern areas, the coat turns white in winter, which in this case, referred to as "ermine".

Weasels are small, active predators, with long and slender bodies and short legs. Females being smaller than the males, and usually have red or brown upper coats and white bellies; some populations of some species molt to a wholly white coat in winter. They have long, slender bodies, which enable them to follow their prey into burrows.

Weasels feed on small mammals and have from time to time been considered vermin because some species took poultry from farms or rabbits from commercial warrens. They do, on the other hand, eat large numbers of rodents. They can be found all across the world except for Antarctica, Australia, and neighboring islands.

Weasels from various parts of its range vary greatly in size. The body is slender and elongated, the legs and tail are relatively short. The color varies geographically, as does the pelage type and length of the tail. The dorsal surface, flanks, limbs, and tail of the animal are usually some shade of brown while the underparts are white. The line delineating the boundary between the two colors is usually straight. At high altitudes and in the northern part of its range, the coat becomes pure white in winter. Eighteen subspecies are recognized.

Small rodents form the largest part of the least weasel's diet, but it also kills and eats rabbits, other mammals, and occasionally birds, birds' eggs, fish, and frogs. Males mark their territories with olfactory signals and have exclusive home ranges which may intersect with or include several female ranges. Least weasels use pre-existing holes to sleep, store food and raise their young. Breeding takes place in the spring and summer, and there is a single litter of about six kits which are reared exclusively by the female.