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Young stoat standing on a rock

Stoat

Stoats are completely white in winter, except for the black tips of their tails. Those that inhabit northern Britain are more likely to turn completely white than their southern counterparts.

Stoats are skilful predators, typically feeding on rabbits and small rodents. They hunt in a zigzag pattern, making use of features such as walls and hedgerows to provide cover, and to help them avoid detection by owls, larger carnivores> and hawks.

With so many predators themselves, the average stoat lives a short life of just 1.5 years.

Scientific name: Mustela erminea

Rank: Species

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Distribution

Map showing the distribution of the Stoat taxa

Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder.

The Stoat can be found in a number of locations including: Arctic, Asia, China, Europe, Indian subcontinent, 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 Stoat 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 stoat (Mustela erminea), also known as the ermine or short-tailed weasel, is a species of Mustelidae native to Eurasia and North America, distinguished from the least weasel by its larger size and longer tail with a prominent black tip. Its range has expanded since the late 19th century to include New Zealand, where it is held responsible for declines in native bird populations. It is classed by the IUCN as Least Concern, due to its wide circumpolar distribution, and because it does not face any significant threat to its survival. It is listed among the 100 "world's worst invasive species".

Read more at Wikipedia

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BBC News about Stoat

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