Weasel

Weasel - Mustela nivalis.JPG
Scientific Name: 
Mustela nivalis
Length: 
Length 25-30cm (Body length: 15-25cm, Tail length 5-10cm)
Weight: 
Up to 130g Male, and 70g Female.
Life Span: 
Average 18 months
Description: 
With a long slender body and short tail the Weasel has gingery/russet brown fur and is the smallest British flesh eating mammal.
Distribution: 
With the exception of Northern Ireland, the Weasel is found throughout most of the British Isles.
Habitat: 
Found in a variety of habitats ranging from farmland and grassland to sand dunes and woodland.
Reproduction: 
Sometimes producing two litters in a year, the female Weasel gives birth to five or six young at one time. The young leave their mother at about 12 weeks, and may have a litter of their own within their first summer.
Predators: 
Foxes, owls, cats and kestrels. Some Weasels may be trapped by man, and others killed on the roads.
Status: 
Common and widespread throughout much of Great Britain
Did You Know?: 
A young Weasel eats 25 per cent of its own bodyweight in food daily.
Footprint Description: 
Both fore and hind feet have a 3 lobed, small interdigital pad, and 5 digital pads with distinct claws.
Footprint Size: 
Hind foot - 1.5x1.3cm, fore foot - 1.3x1.1cm. Stride approx 25-30cm.
Tracks & Signs Description: 
Weasel droppings are of twisted construction, typical of many mustelids.Length approx 3-6cm long,dark when fresh with a very strong musty odour. Mostly found in dens.Very often these have fur content from Vole/Mouse prey, as well as the animals own fur.