Ermine, << UR muhn, >> is a weasel known for the white coat it grows in the autumn. Ermines are native to Asia, Europe, North America, and northern Africa. In North America, ermines are sometimes called short-tailed weasels. In Europe, they are called stoats. Ermines are swift, graceful predators (hunting animals). They feed mainly on small rodents and rabbits.
Most ermines measure about 7 to 13 inches (18 to 33 centimeters) long and weigh about 2 to 10 ounces (57 to 285 grams). The males are larger than the females. An ermine has silky fur. During the late spring and summer, the color of the fur is brown above and white below. The tail has a black tip. The ermine sheds its fur each autumn and grows a new coat that is pure white, except for the black tip on the tail. During the white color phase, the animal is often trapped for its fur. In the Middle Ages, from about the 400’s through the 1400’s, nobles used ermine fur for full-length coats and capes. Today, the fur is rarely used in clothing.
Ermines live in a wide variety of habitats. They are most commonly seen along riverbanks and the edges of forests and in wet meadows, marshes, and ditches.
A female ermine has one litter of 3 to 13 young each year, usually in April. The mother usually raises the young by herself. Ermines grow rapidly. Some females are fully grown and able to mate during their first summer. Males mature later than females. Ermines generally live alone as adults. They can live for 4 to 7 years. The chief predators of ermines include owls, hawks, cats, dogs, and foxes.
Ermines were introduced to New Zealand in the 1880’s. They are considered a major threat to the island’s native birds.
