THE LONG-TAILED WEASEL
■ Type: Mammal
■ Diet: Carnivore
■ Average life span in the wild: 3 to 7 years
■ Size: 14 to 18 in (33 to 45 cm)
■ Weight: Up to 1 lb (500g)
■ Skull size relative to a ruler:
■ Diet: Carnivore
■ Average life span in the wild: 3 to 7 years
■ Size: 14 to 18 in (33 to 45 cm)
■ Weight: Up to 1 lb (500g)
■ Skull size relative to a ruler:
When winter approaches, within 30 days it grows a coat of white, giving it perfect camouflage against the snow -- all except for the tip of its tail, which stays black. A hungry predator, such as a hawk or owl, aims for that black tip, enabling the weasel to escape. Towards spring, between late February and April, in only 25 days, it reverses the process, acquiring the cinnamon-brown topcoat it will use all summer. This includes brown feet, unlike the other two species which retain white feet. The underside is usually buff-coloured.
The diet of this weasel includes larger species than the Ermine, but the bulk still consists of small mammals. Food items in one study were reported as follows: Meadow Voles, 52%; Deer Mice, 19%; chipmunks, 18%; pocket gophers, 3.9%; ground squirrel, 2.6%; prairie dogs, 2.6% and Pikas 1.3%; They also capture cottontails, Red Squirrels, Harvest Mice, House Mice, woodrats, Norway Rats, Black Rats, shrews and Least Weasels. Individuals have been found with Porcupine quills in their face, suggesting that they may tackle that well-armed species. A small number of birds also find their way into their diet, mainly ground-nesters such as sparrows and Horned Larks, and Brown Creepers which habitually drop to the base of a neighbouring tree to begin its upward spiral. They occasionally eat snakes, and some insects such as grasshoppers, wasps and flies. In summer, they may eat berries. Mainly diurnal, they themselves become prey to wolves, coyotes, foxes, domestic dogs and cats, as well as owls and hawks.
The home range of the Long-tailed Weasel has been variously reported from four to 120 hectares (10 to 300 acres), probably depending on the quality of the territory. The male's home range usually overlaps that of several females. Male weasels are constantly roaming. When they find a den of new-born weasels, they immediately mate with the adult female, then also mate with the just-born females. After fertilization, implanting is delayed until March; then develops for 27 days prior to birth. The litter consists of three to nine (average six). Females possess only eight mammae. The blind, helpless, pink and wrinkled new-borns have a sparse covering of fine white hair which grows into a sleek coat by the time they are two weeks old. They start to be weaned of milk at about 24 days and gain their vision when 36 days old. The mother takes them hunting when six weeks of age, and they disperse fully independent by the time they are three months old. Young males do not reach sexual maturity until they are one year of age.
The diet of this weasel includes larger species than the Ermine, but the bulk still consists of small mammals. Food items in one study were reported as follows: Meadow Voles, 52%; Deer Mice, 19%; chipmunks, 18%; pocket gophers, 3.9%; ground squirrel, 2.6%; prairie dogs, 2.6% and Pikas 1.3%; They also capture cottontails, Red Squirrels, Harvest Mice, House Mice, woodrats, Norway Rats, Black Rats, shrews and Least Weasels. Individuals have been found with Porcupine quills in their face, suggesting that they may tackle that well-armed species. A small number of birds also find their way into their diet, mainly ground-nesters such as sparrows and Horned Larks, and Brown Creepers which habitually drop to the base of a neighbouring tree to begin its upward spiral. They occasionally eat snakes, and some insects such as grasshoppers, wasps and flies. In summer, they may eat berries. Mainly diurnal, they themselves become prey to wolves, coyotes, foxes, domestic dogs and cats, as well as owls and hawks.
The home range of the Long-tailed Weasel has been variously reported from four to 120 hectares (10 to 300 acres), probably depending on the quality of the territory. The male's home range usually overlaps that of several females. Male weasels are constantly roaming. When they find a den of new-born weasels, they immediately mate with the adult female, then also mate with the just-born females. After fertilization, implanting is delayed until March; then develops for 27 days prior to birth. The litter consists of three to nine (average six). Females possess only eight mammae. The blind, helpless, pink and wrinkled new-borns have a sparse covering of fine white hair which grows into a sleek coat by the time they are two weeks old. They start to be weaned of milk at about 24 days and gain their vision when 36 days old. The mother takes them hunting when six weeks of age, and they disperse fully independent by the time they are three months old. Young males do not reach sexual maturity until they are one year of age.
|
|
All info I took out of here: http://talkaboutwildlife.ca/profile/?s=516
All pictures I took out of Google: http://www.google.es/imghp?hl=es&tab=wi
All pictures I took out of Google: http://www.google.es/imghp?hl=es&tab=wi