It adds that in most populations, females are 10–15% smaller than males,[3] thus making them about the same size as large male stoats, according to a second source. Didelphimorphia is the order of common opossums of the Western Hemisphere. This body shape is highly adaptive for pursuing their prey of small mammals through … This spot is usually near where they burrow. It is distinct from the short-tailed weasel, also known as a "stoat", a close relation that originated in Eurasia and crossed into North America some half million years ago. At this time, the kits weigh 21–27 grams. The kits are born partially naked, blind and weighing 3 grams, about the same weight of a hummingbird. The genus name Eira is derived from the indigenous name of the animal in Bolivia and Peru, … Unlike skunks, which spray their musk, the long-tailed weasel drags and rubs its body over surfaces in order to leave the scent,[7] to mark their territory and, when startled or threatened, to discourage predators.[8]. Some of the surplus kills may be cached, but are usually left uneaten. The genus Mustela includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets and mink. The footprint of a long-tailed weasel is about 1 inch (25 mm) long. They are small to medium-sized marsupials, about the size of a large … Species of weasels occur in North America, northern South America, northern Africa, Europe, Asia, and Southeast Asia. However, the full extent of their range is unknown, and they probably also inhabit southern Colombia, Venezuela and the Guyanas, as well as northern Bolivia. With small prey, also the fur, feathers, flesh and bones are consumed, but only some flesh is eaten from large prey. mexicanus (Coues, 1877), macrurus (J. The Patagonian weasel ( Lyncodon patagonicus) is a larger mustelid of the South American Pampas. richardsoni (Bonaparte, 1838), Media related to Mustela frenata at Wikimedia Commons, Data related to Mustela frenata at Wikispecies, harvnb error: no target: CITEREFMerrittMetinko1987 (, LONG-TAILED WEASEL (Mustela frenata), Description; Northern State University, Aberdeen, South Dakota, "Fur-bearing Animals: A Monograph of North American Mustelidae", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Long-tailed_weasel&oldid=991079713, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2005, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, A large subspecies with a long tail, relatively short black tip and has a black head with conspicuous white markings, A large, very dark subspecies with very little white marking on the face, The Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountain systems, reaching British Columbia in the Rocky Mountain region. [6] The dorsal fur is brown in summer, while the underparts are whitish and tinged with yellowish or buffy brown from the chin to the inguinal region. [2], The long-tailed weasel is one of the larger members of the genus Mustela in North America. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender bodies and short legs. brasiliensis (Sevastianoff, 1813) [3] They have been found from sea level to 1,250 m (4,100 ft),[2] and have been reported to swim in rivers or estuaries, sometimes far from the shore. The region is covered by tropical rainforest, and, while detailed habitat preferences are unknown, the weasel has mostly been recovered near rivers. There is substantial disagreement both on the upper end of their size and difference in size by sex by source: one indicates a body length of 300–350 mm (12–14 in) and a tail comprising 40–70% of the head and body length. It is about 30–35 cm (12–14 inches) long, excluding the 6–9-cm (2.5–3.5-inch) tail. They have short fur which varies from reddish to dark brown on the upper body, and is pale orange-tan on the underparts. However, unlike the latter species, the long-tailed weasel never crossed the land bridge, and did not spread into Eurasia. The long-tailed weasel arose in North America 2 million years ago, shortly before the stoat evolved as its mirror image in Eurasia. Opossums probably diverged from the basic South Americanmarsupialsin the late Cretaceousor early Paleocene. [7], The long-tailed weasel dens in ground burrows, under stumps or beneath rock piles. Occasionally, it may eat small birds, bird eggs, reptiles, amphibians, fish, earthworms and some insects. Its primary prey consists of mice, rats, squirrels, chipmunks, shrews, moles and rabbits. It was first identified from a museum specimen mislabelled as coming from Africa, hence the scientific name.

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