Stoat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stoat |
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Mustela erminea
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A stoat is a small, quick mammal that belongs to the weasel family, called Mustelidae. You might also hear them called short-tailed weasels. Male stoats are usually bigger than females. When stoats have their white winter coat, they are often called ermines.
Stoats can grow to be about 30 centimeters (about one foot) long. They are skilled hunters and eat other small animals and bird eggs. They can even take down animals larger than themselves! Stoats are smart and sometimes store extra food to eat later. They hunt by biting the neck of their prey, which quickly kills the animal.
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What Does a Stoat Look Like?
Stoats have long, thin bodies with short legs, small ears, and thick, warm fur. Their fur is usually brown, but it changes to a beautiful white color in the winter. No matter the season, their tail always has a black tip. This black tip is a good way to tell a stoat apart from other weasels.
Stoat Senses and Habits
Stoats have an amazing sense of smell, which they use to find food and talk to other stoats. While they don't see colors as well as humans, they can see much better in the dark. Stoats are not strictly night animals; they are most active during dawn (when the sun rises) and dusk (when the sun sets).
Like skunks, stoats can spray a stinky liquid when they feel scared or threatened. This helps them escape from danger. They are also very good at climbing trees, which helps them hunt birds and escape from predators.
Where Do Stoats Live?
Stoats live in cooler, northern parts of the world. You can find them in many areas of Europe, Asia, and North America. They prefer places with mild to cold climates.
Stoats in New Zealand
People also brought stoats to New Zealand. Unfortunately, in New Zealand, stoats are considered a problem. They hunt and kill too many native animals, which can harm the local wildlife populations.
Stoat Life and Reproduction
Stoats usually live alone and are very territorial. This means they protect their own space from other stoats.
How Stoats Have Babies
Stoats mate once a year. Female stoats can have several babies, which are called kits. What's interesting is that after a female stoat becomes pregnant, the kits might not start growing right away. They can stay in a kind of "pause" for 8 to 9 months!
When the weather is good and there is plenty of food available, the kits will finally start to grow and are born about a month later. Male stoats do not help raise the babies.
Images for kids
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Skulls of a long-tailed weasel (top), a stoat (bottom left) and least weasel (bottom right).
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Stoat (left) and least weasel (right) pelts—note the stoat's larger size and black tail-tip.
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A stoat in its white winter fur.
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A young stoat kit.
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Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting, Lady with an Ermine (1489–1490).
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See also
In Spanish: Mustela erminea para niños
