Weasel is any of a group of small, furry animals with long, slender bodies and short legs. Weasels also have small, rounded ears and long tails. They live on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. Weasels rank among the most effective animal hunters.
The least weasel of North America, Europe, and Asia is the smallest carnivorous (flesh-eating) animal in the world. It typically grows 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 centimeters) long, including the tail. It weighs 2 to 3 ounces (57 to 85 grams). The largest member of the weasel family is the greater grison. It lives in Mexico and Central and South America. The greater grison measures 25 to 30 inches (63 to 76 centimeters) long, including the tail. It weighs 3 1/2 to 7 pounds (1.6 to 3.2 kilograms). Other members of the weasel family include the long-tailed weasel of North and South America and the ermine of North America, Europe, Asia, and northern Africa.
Most weasels have brownish, reddish-brown, or yellowish-brown fur on the back and sides. They have white, yellowish, or tan fur on the underparts. In winter, the fur of weasels that live in cold climates changes to white, except for a black-tipped tail. This white fur enables them to blend into their snowy winter habitats.
Weasels live in a variety of environments. They make dens in rock piles, under tree stumps, and in abandoned burrows. The animals hunt for prey on land and in the water. Such prey includes lizards, frogs, fishes, insects, worms, birds, and small mammals. Weasels have remarkable strength for their size. They can overcome prey much larger than themselves. A weasel’s slender body enables it to pursue prey into burrows, thickets, or rock crevices.
Most kinds of weasels live alone. They aggressively defend their territories against enemies. Weasels discharge a foul-smelling liquid called musk when they are threatened or attacked. Such animals as owls, hawks, and coyotes eat weasels. People have long hunted minks and other weasels for their fur.
Female weasels bear four to nine young each year. Some kinds of weasels can survive for up to 10 years in the wild.
