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Weasel standing up on hind legs

Weasel

Weasels are adaptable little mammals that live almost anywhere they can find cover and prey. This includes sand dunes, grassland, woodland and mountains. They must eat every 24 hours to avoid starvation, so are active both day and night, alternating periods of activity with a few hours of rest. Weasels eat rodents, such as voles and mice for the most part, supplemented by birds or eggs when available. Although they look similar to stoats, one way to tell the difference is that weasels don't have a black tip to the tail.

Scientific name: Mustela nivalis

Rank: Species

Common names:

  • Common weasel,
  • Least weasel

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Distribution

Map showing the distribution of the Weasel taxa

Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder.

The Weasel can be found in a number of locations including: Asia, China, Europe, Mediterranean, North America, Russia, United Kingdom, Wales. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.

Habitats

The following habitats are found across the Weasel distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.

Behaviours

Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.

Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web

Conservation Status

Least Concern

  1. EX - Extinct
  2. EW
  3. CR - Threatened
  4. EN - Threatened
  5. VU - Threatened
  6. NT
  7. LC - Least concern

Population trend: Stable

Year assessed: 2008

Classified by: IUCN 3.1

About

The least weasel (Mustela nivalis) is the smallest member of the Mustelidae (as well as the smallest of the Carnivora), native to Eurasia, North America and North Africa, though it has been introduced elsewhere. It is classed as Least Concern by the IUCN, due to its wide distribution and presumably large population. Despite its small size, the least weasel is a fierce hunter, capable of killing a rabbit 5-10 times its own weight.

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