Yellow-bellied weasel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yellow-bellied weasel |
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| At Shillong, Meghalaya, India | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Mustela
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| Species: |
kathiah
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| Yellow-bellied weasel range | |
The yellow-bellied weasel (Mustela kathiah) is a small, quick animal from the weasel family. You can find it living in pine forests across parts of Central Asia and East Asia.
Contents
What Does a Yellow-Bellied Weasel Look Like?
This weasel gets its name from its bright yellow belly! The top part of its body and its tail are a dark brown color.
Yellow-bellied weasels are not very big. They grow to be about 9.8 to 10.6 inches (25–27 cm) long. Their tail adds another 4.9 to 5.9 inches (12–15 cm) to their length. An adult weasel usually weighs around 3.3 pounds (1.5 kg).
Where Do Yellow-Bellied Weasels Live?
These weasels live in several countries in Asia. You can find them in Bhutan, Burma, China, India, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
They prefer to live in forests. They are often found at high places, between 1,000 meters and 2,000 meters above sea level. When winter comes, they might move to lower areas, sometimes below 1,000 meters.
What Do Yellow-Bellied Weasels Eat?
Yellow-bellied weasels are carnivores, meaning they eat meat. Their favorite foods are rodents. This includes small animals like mice, rats, and voles. They also hunt and eat birds and other small mammals.
Yellow-Bellied Weasel Reproduction
Female yellow-bellied weasels build a den in the ground before having their babies. They have babies once every year. Mating usually happens in the late spring or early summer months.
The mother weasel is pregnant for about ten months. She gives birth to her young, called kits, in April or May. A mother can have anywhere from 3 to 18 kits at one time! By the time the kits are eight weeks old, they are old enough to leave the den and find food on their own.
Weasels Helping Humans
Yellow-bellied weasels can be trained quite easily. Because they are good at hunting rodents, people sometimes use them to help control mice and rats in buildings.
See also
In Spanish: Comadreja de vientre amarillo para niños
