ID Stoat?

pmdpmd · #1 (**permalink**) 12-10-2007, 09:31 AM

I saw this animal fleetingly near my chicken coup this morning.

I took it for a stoat, but the pictures I has looked up show a black tip to the tail, which I am not sure if this one had.

I only saw its tail as it ran away. In fact, it hopped (bounded) more than ran. I wonder if it might have been a fox.

The best identification I can give is its tail which was bushy and long and held upright. It looked about 8-10" long. The underside (that I could see as it was oriented towards me) was white and the rest of it was orangey-red.)

We have has weasel problems recently, but the ones I have seen have been smaller than this.

Can anyone help me?

Thanks,
Paul.

Dogghound · #2 (**permalink**) 12-10-2007, 09:34 AM

By your description it is a mustelid, stoats and foxes are totally different in size and form and carnt be confused, Im sure what you saw was a stoat it sounds identical perhaps you didnt notice its black tail tip or it had lost the end of its tail.

pmdpmd · #3 (**permalink**) 12-10-2007, 09:53 AM

Thanks for the quick reply.

Does the stoat have a white underside to its tail (apart from the black tip)? I can't quite make this out itn he pictures I can find on Google, but there are a few hints as such.

Dogghound · #4 (**permalink**) 12-10-2007, 08:43 PM

Stoats have a white underside, their tails are orange/brown with no white just a black tip.

gez · #5 (**permalink**) 15-10-2007, 06:33 PM

& they often move so fast they are a blur. deff not a fox though ill go with stoat.. gez

Meles meles · #6 (**permalink**) 16-10-2007, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dogghound

By your description it is a mustelid, stoats and foxes are totally different in size and form and carnt be confused, Im sure what you saw was a stoat it sounds identical perhaps you didnt notice its black tail tip or it had lost the end of its tail.

I would agree with dogghound. More likely to be a stoat