Latin Etymology: Mustela ("weasel") erminea ("ermine")
Adult Stoat (subspecies A. a. stabilis) at Wooler, Northumbria - July 2009
Featured Subspecies: Mustela erminea stabilis
Weight: 260g / Length: 17-32cm
UK STATUS NOT EVALUTATED / IUCN Red List: Least Concern
Possibly the easiest to see of the UKs seven mustelid species, it is still however, quite an unusual occurrence to see one. It looks superficially similar to the weasel, but can be told apart by the substantially larger size and black tip to its tail. As with many mustelids, it is proportionally an incredibly powerful predator - killing animals many times its size and weight such as rabbits. The Stoat in the UK remains brown throughout the year, but in more northerly populations they grow a thick white coat for camoflage during Winter, and it is in this form they are known as ermine and have been hunted for their fur in the past.
Related Species:
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Genus: Mustela
SUBSPECIES: M. e. erminea, M. e. aestiva, M. e. alascensis, M. e. anguinae, M. e. arctica, M. e. augustidens, M. e. bangsi, M. e. celenda, M. e. cigognanii, M. e. fallenda, M. e. ferghanae, M. e. gulosa, M. e. haidarum, M. e. hibernica, M. e. initis, M. e. invicta, M. e. kaiacensis, M. e. kaneii, M. e. karaginensis, M. e. lymani, M. e. martinoi, M. e. minima, M. e. muricus, M. e. nippon, M. e. ognevi, M. e. olympica, M. e. polaris, M. e. richarsonii, M. e. ricinae, M. e. salva, M. e. seclusa, M. e. stabilis, M. e. stratori, M. e. tebedina, M. e. tobolica
Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .
