Weasel
It’s a good thing long-tailed weasels can’t enter pie-eating
contests because if they could, no human could compete with
them.
Though its appetite is huge, the long-tailed weasel (Mustela
frenata) is the smallest member of its family, which includes
mink, otter, skunk, fisher, marten, wolverine, and badger.
Long-tailed weasels, most abundant in northeast Oklahoma, have
long, skinny bodies, short legs and a small, narrow head with
long whiskers. Northern populations of weasels shed their summer
brown coats for a white coat during the winter. Oklahoma’s
weasels shed their fur twice each year and sport a brown coat,
cream belly, and a bushy, black-tipped tail.
Long-tailed weasels have adapted well to habitat changes brought
on by man. They can be found in a variety of habitats including
woodlands, agricultural fields, bottomland waterways, and brushy
areas. Weasels are often found near rock piles and firewood
stacks and are known to nest in hollow logs and under barns.
The long-tailed weasel is an efficient and beneficial
predator. It has the highest metabolic rate among mammals of
similar size which fuels a never-ending hunger. Weasels have a
reputation for raiding chicken houses and birds nests, but are
much more likely to attack farm pests, especially rodents. Their
lengthy, agile bodies are perfect for underground hunting,
pursuing gophers, ground squirrels, mice, and shrews in their
burrows. The much larger males may even attack larger prey such
as cottontail rabbits. After picking up on a scent or sound,
they follow their prey until making a quick attack. Small
mammals make up 95 percent of the weasel diet, but they’ll also
consume birds, reptiles, fruits, and berries.
Weasels occupy a home range of 30 acres or more depending on
prey abundance. The home range of a male weasel may overlap with
those of several females and males may occupy one area their
whole life. Females are known to move several times throughout
their lives.
Although long-tailed weasels can be seen day and night, they are
primarily nocturnal, venturing from the den an hour after
sundown. Females often travel farther than males, searching for
food or new den sites. The weasel’s vulnerability to heat loss
limits excursions from the den during the cold winter months.
Throughout most of the year, long-tailed weasel males and
females live separately from each other. They co-habitat during
the breeding season with mating occurring in July or August and
four to eight young born in April or early May. Young weasels or
kits are born blind and have wrinkled skin and white fur. After
two months of receiving meals from their mother, the young are
able to kill prey on their own. Female weasels are sexually
mature after only three months while males take 12 months to
mature.
Because of the secretive nature of the long-tailed weasel,
population estimates are difficult to obtain. Long-tailed weasel
pelts were a part of the early American fur trade, but were
never a popular commodity and weasels were never extensively
trapped. Today, populations of long-tailed weasels remain stable
throughout North America, though local populations fluctuate in
conjunction with prey availability.
The hungry, fearless weasel is always looking for a quick meal,
and we should be grateful he usually finds it.