Make a hand caress an animal. Animal weasel in nature: what the animal looks like, what it eats

The weasel or common weasel (Mustela nivalis) is a member of the Mustelidae family, the genus Ferrets and weasels (Mustela). She is the smallest of all predators: the length of the male is 13-26 centimeters, and his weight is 40-250 grams

The weasel or common weasel (Mustela nivalis) is a member of the Mustelidae family, the genus Ferrets and weasels (Mustela). It is the smallest of all predators: the length of the male is 13-26 centimeters, and its weight is 40-250 grams. The female is even smaller.

From Latin, the name of the animal – nivalis – is translated as “snowy”: in winter, the weasel’s fur coat turns snow-white.

Weasel in winter color (molting).

Why was the weasel called weasel?

The bloodthirstiness of this small predator. Why was he given a name inappropriate for his character?

It turns out that these animals are easily tamed and turn into affectionate and loyal friends. They follow their owner like dogs.

Another version of the origin of the name is known. Exists ancient belief, according to which witches who use female charms to distract attention often turn into weasels.

Weasel habitat

Weasel is a common animal that can be found throughout Eurasia (it is not found only in Indochina), North Africa(except for the Arctic archipelago and southern deserts) and in northwestern Africa (in the Atlas Mountains). They also brought it to New Zealand.

You can meet weasel in almost all landscape areas. The animals inhabit forests and tundra, steppes and forest-steppes, deserts and semi-deserts, the banks of reservoirs and the outskirts of fields; in the mountains, their distribution reaches alpine meadows. She also lives in major cities. It is not found only in the polar desert and in mountain belts, covered with snow.

Common weasel (Mustela nivalis). Photo by: Yersinia pestis.

The species is divided into several subspecies, differing greatly in size. The smallest weasels live in cold northern regions: northern Europe, Siberia, the Far East and North America. The weasel's competitor, the ermine, lives in the same area. Therefore, the weasel hunts for the smallest mouse-like rodents and gets them in places inaccessible to the stoat. Larger subspecies inhabit hot, arid regions: the Mediterranean, Central and Western Asia. They hunt gerbils, jerboas and small ground squirrels - prey beyond the control of their small relatives. When there is a shortage of food, they can catch birds, young rabbits, amphibians, small fish, lizards, small snakes, and insects. They often raid human homes and exterminate poultry - chickens, ducks and others. In such places, weasels are not liked and are often hunted.

The size of the predator's habitat does not exceed a hectare. These natural lands are enough for the weasel to feed on, as it is able to penetrate any hole and get prey from there.

Shelters for the animal are the homes of mice and moles, piles of brushwood and stones, stacks, wood buildings, and tree hollows.

Enemies of weasels

Like any animal, weasels also have enemies; they often become prey birds of prey(owls and even a great bittern), their brothers in the family - stoats, and also more large predators– Arctic foxes, martens, sables, predators of the cat family.

A weasel fell prey to a great bittern (Botaurus stellaris). Photo by: Fausto Deseri.

Residents of Ancient Rome and early medieval Europe used weasels as a pet to hunt mice. But when Old World inhabited by large gray rats, which are difficult for small animals to cope with, weasels have been replaced by ferrets and cats.

Feeding weasels with milk from a syringe. Photo by: Armando Caldas.

If you decide to get a pet, please note that babies are easier to tame, they will require careful care and you will have to tinker with feeding them. Therefore, in practice, adult animals are more often caught and gradually tamed. But in the process of taming, your hands will be bitten more than once. If you are willing to spend a lot of time adapting with the animal, then it will become a loyal and reliable friend.

Growing weasels at home from the very beginning early age. Photo by: Armando Caldas.

You will have to feed your pet fresh and high-quality meat and eggs. The animal must always have clean water.

The weasel will choose its own place to rest. She can take the place of another pet. In addition, she easily takes food from cats and dogs.

Common weasel (Mustela nivalis). Photo credit: Gary Mann.

Your weasel can cause a lot of problems if your neighbors have poultry. She will exterminate all these birds, turning your neighbor into fierce enemy. But if the bird lives with you, the weasel will not touch it, since it does not hunt where it lives.

Buy weasel

If you still haven’t changed your mind about having a weasel in your home, then you will be faced with the question: “Where to buy a weasel?” Unfortunately, weasels are very rarely on sale. You will have to catch the animal yourself or find the right person.

Chub Natalya, Kirill Usanov

There are many animals that fit the name “living mercury”. Long, nimble, incredibly agile, and even covered with silky fur - these animals often make you want to get to know each other better. Among the mustelids there is a representative named weasel. Let's look at the photo to see what it looks like, find out where it lives, why it's called that, and whether you can enjoy communicating with the furry rogue at home.

Portrait of a predator against a background of nature

There is no one smaller than a weasel in the Predatory squad. Males can grow up to 26 cm in length and gain weight up to 250 g. The animal’s body is elongated, and its legs are disproportionately short, like those of a dachshund. However, in agility it surpasses not only the dachshund, but even the cat. Moving rapidly in short jumps, the predator easily and often changes direction of movement. Not even a lizard can escape her.

For full description type should be added:

• in summer, short brown fur on the head and back, dazzling white on the throat, chest and belly;
• winter fur is thicker and completely white;
• elongated head;
• short rounded ears;
• anal glands with a strong-smelling secretion.

The weasel is sometimes confused with the ermine. They really look alike, but the ermine has a black tassel on its tail, the same one that makes the lining of the royal robe look like it has stripes.

Attention! Wild weasels can carry rabies - you should not come into contact with them.

Legendary and elusive

Weasels live throughout Europe, Russia, Canada, in the northern states of the USA and a little in Africa - not far from the Strait of Gibraltar. It is not a rare animal, but it is difficult to meet, much less catch, it. Incredibly agile, she will climb into any narrow crevice, hole, under snags, and walk over stones, windfalls and dead wood.

The predator feeds on any animals comparable in size: mice, voles, shrews, rats, snakes, frogs, and if it doesn’t find anything similar, then insects. The animal is attracted to farms where it can snack on chicken or baby rabbit.

The weasel loves to hunt in the stables: there are many mouse nests in the hay and bedding. In the old days, in the mornings, peasants often found their horses lathered, tired, with tangled manes - as if they had been galloping all night. They thought it was the “stable neighbor” who was playing mischief and riding, but it turned out to be a weasel. The predator easily jumps on the horse’s back to feast on grains of salt where the sweat has dried. At the same time, he sometimes bites through the withers and licks drops of blood.

Why was this aggressive, quirky animal nicknamed weasel? The ancient Slavs revered him as the patron of the house - he is secretive, but does not leave his home. Many nations have a legend according to which a kind daughter-in-law, undeservedly cursed by her mother-in-law, turned into a kindness.

Weasel in the house: comfort or disaster

IN Ancient Rome assessed the predator’s ability to exterminate mice and welcomed it into homes. But very soon the ruthless rodent fighters were replaced by more flexible cats. Unlike the Romans, modern lovers of unusual pets get a weasel to enjoy its indomitable energy.

The condition under which an animal can become a cute pet is taming it “from a young age.” If taken into the home from two months and older, the weasel will remain wild, aggressive, unpredictable, will bite and sooner or later will run away.

The guest will need big cage, it is better to have a high enclosure with a floor area of ​​at least square meter. The floor of the enclosure is covered with straw or hay. Inside are placed:

• cat litter box with wood filler (there is a chance that the pet will learn to use it);
• stable feeder and nipple drinker;

• wooden house for shelter;
• shelves and driftwood for climbing.

Attention! The weasel will fit anywhere, so the bars of the enclosure should be quite dense.

The weasel's diet includes meat, poultry, fish, eggs - everything that the animal gets in nature. Ready-made food for cats and dogs is absolutely not suitable, as are treats from the table.

The weasel enjoys bathing in the bath and takes care of its fur itself. Sheds in spring and autumn, changing bicolor to white and vice versa. At this time, the animal can be stroked with a damp hand to remove any stray hairs.

Nimble and fearless, not at all gentle, in nature this predator devotes all its time to hunting. By diligently exterminating breeding rodents, it has been helping other animals maintain balance in food chains for millions of years.

Pet weasel: video

The weasel's Latin name translates to "snowy" because of its snow-white winter coat.

Area: Europe, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Asia Minor, northern Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Mongolia, China, Korean Peninsula, Japan, North America, Australia.

Description: Weasel is the smallest representative of mustelids. The body is very elongated and thin. The paws are short, armed with sharp claws. The neck is long and powerful. The head is narrow, the muzzle is small and blunt, and the ears are rather small. The nose is slightly forked. The eyes are large, dark, and slightly bulging. The tail is very short. The coat is short and lying. At the base of the tail there are anal glands that secrete an unpleasant-smelling secretion.

Color: depends on the season. In summer, the upper body is brownish-brown, and the edge upper lip, the belly and the inside of the paws are white, there are brown spots at the corners of the mouth, and the tail is brownish-brown. In winter, the weasel turns completely white.

Size: body length - 13-28 cm, tail - up to 9 cm

Weight: males - 70-105 g, females are 30% smaller.

Lifespan: in nature up to 5 years (on average up to 9.5 months).

Habitat: various biotopes (forests, steppes and forest-steppes, field margins, swamps, banks of reservoirs, deserts, tundra, alpine meadows, near human habitation).
There is no weasel in the polar deserts and the snow belt of the mountains.

Enemies: predators (sable, badger, pine marten, raccoon dog), as well as: (), .
Many animals die from viral or bacterial infections.

Food: Almost the entire diet of weasels consists of small mouse-like rodents (house, field and forest), as well as young birds, chickens, eggs and chicks. When there is a shortage of food, it eats small, small, etc.
Daily requirement in feed is 30-40 g.

Behavior: Weasel is a dexterous and agile animal, runs fast, climbs and swims well. It is distinguished by its courage and bloodthirstiness, capable of crawling through the narrowest cracks and holes. The mice are chased into their own holes. It grabs small animals by the back of the head or head, biting through the skull in the back of the head, and often attacks animals much larger than itself, grabbing their neck. The weasel makes several holes in bird eggs and sucks out the contents.
Often stores reserves (from 1 to 30 voles and mice are found in one place).
Active in different times days, but more often hunts at dusk and at night. Moves by jumping.
Leads a (mostly) earthly lifestyle. When walking around its area, it stays close to bushes and other cover. Avoids open places. It can cover 1-2 km per day. In winter, when there is deep snow, it moves in its voids.
It does not dig holes, but uses rodent holes or voids between stones, wood piles, low-lying (up to 2 m) tree hollows, tree roots and dead wood, and rock crevices. He drags dry grass, moss and leaves into the den. There are usually several permanent dwellings built on the site.
Weasels often die when overrun strong predators, but sometimes she manages (right in the air) to rip out the throat of her enemy.

Social structure: Weasel leads a solitary and territorial lifestyle. The size of an individual plot is small - up to 10 hectares. These sizes depend on the abundance of prey and weather. Often the male's site overlaps the female's. The boundaries of the area are marked with scent marks.

Reproduction: polygamous, during the rutting season a male can mate with several females.
For childbirth, the female lines the nest with dry grass, moss and leaves. If the nest is disturbed, the mother moves the cubs to another place. In case of extreme danger, the weasel defends its nest to the last. Broods stay together for 3-4 months and break up at the end of summer or autumn.

Breeding season/period: spring (in March). During years of abundance of mouse-like rodents, it reproduces all year round(up to 2-3 broods).

Puberty: about 3 months.

Pregnancy: Embryo development takes up to 35 days. There is no latent stage during pregnancy.

Offspring: on average, a female gives birth to 4-5 puppies (the number depends on the abundance of food).
Newborns are blind and helpless, covered with sparse whitish fluff, their weight is about 1.5 g. Eyes open on days 21-25 of life. When the puppies begin to leave the nest, they follow their mother everywhere, exploring the immediate surroundings, and then move further and further from their native nest. Gradually, the following reflex weakens, and young animals begin to travel independently.

Benefit/harm for humans: The weasel has no hunting significance. Currently there is no hunt for her. Previously (in the post-war period), from 3 to 20 thousand skins were harvested every year.
Weasels in huge quantities (up to 2-3 thousand per year) exterminate mouse-like rodents, thereby bringing great benefits.
In the old days, many superstitions and prejudices were associated with affection. In some places it was believed that she brought happiness to the house, while in others she was treated very poorly.

Population/Conservation Status: Weasel population density varies greatly and depends on habitat conditions, year and the state of the food supply.

Select 8 subspecies of the common weasel:
- northern weasel Mustela nivalis nivalis- northern and middle parts Eastern Europe, steppes Western Siberia and with southern Siberia to Pacific Ocean;
- southern weasel M.n. Vulgaris - Western Europe And southern part former USSR(except for Crimea);
- Crimean weasel M.n. Nikolskii- Crimea and adjacent parts of Ukraine;
- big M.n. Dinniki and small M.n. Caucasica Caucasian weasels - Caucasus and Transcaucasia;
- Turkestan weasel M.n. Pallida- mountains Central Asia, Tien Shan, Pamir and Kopet-Dag;
- Siberian or tundra weasel M.n. pygmaea - Far East Russia.

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Description

Weasel is the smallest representative of the order of carnivores. The structure of the long, flexible body and the color of the fur are very similar to the ermine, but differ in its small size and shorter, and most importantly, monochromatic tail; She does not have a black tassel on her tail. The body of the weasel, like that of the ermine, is thin and long, with short legs armed with very sharp claws, an elongated head, small round ears, and a blunt and slightly forked nose at the end. At the base of the tail there are glands that secrete a liquid with an unpleasant odor.

By appearance males differ from females only comparatively large sizes bodies. The length of the animal varies, depending on which subspecies it belongs to, from 11.4 to 21.6 cm. Weight - from 40 to 100 g.

In summer fur, the top of the head, back, sides, tail and outer sides of the paws are uniformly brownish-brown. The throat, edge of the upper lip, chest, belly and inner surface of the legs are pure white. Behind the corners of the mouth there is a brown spot. The density of fur is the same in summer and winter, but summer hair is shorter and finer than winter hair. In autumn, the weasel, with the exception of some southern areas of its habitat, changes its brown summer plumage to pure white winter fur. Found in Europe, Northern Asia and North America.

Lives in fields and forests, in mountainous and lowland areas, without avoiding populated areas. It settles under stones, in hollows, in ruins, in burrows, barns, etc. The nest is lined with dry grass, moss, leaves of chestnuts and ferns.

Nutrition

In places where it is not pursued, the weasel hunts both day and night. By exterminating mice, it brings great benefit, which, in any case, outweighs the harm it sometimes brings to chicken coops. Weasels sometimes successfully fight off even relatively large birds of prey (for example, kites).

Weasel lives on different sources, 17, 20, 30 years old; strong males sometimes live up to 60 years (as a rule, animals of the same size as weasels live no more than 8 years).

Pairing

Mating occurs in March. After a five-week pregnancy, the female gives birth to 5 to 7, rarely 3 and 8 cubs, which she carefully guards and protects, carrying them in her teeth to another place in case of danger.

Story

Affection in culture

• Kama-itachi is a demon youkai in Japanese folklore.
• In the cartoon "Ice Age 3: Age of the Dinosaurs" there is a weasel called Buck.
• In The Wind in the Willows there are also weasels who play the role of negative characters.
• In Jack London's story "White Fang", a weasel attacked the main character - a wolf cub
• In the cartoon Fantastic Mr. Fox, there is a weasel character who works as a real estate agent.
• In the Spanish animated series "The Ugly Duckling" two weasels are presented as negative characters.
• J. Durrell's book "Garden of the Gods" also mentions a weasel
• In Brian Jakes' Redwall series of books, weasels are used as negative characters.
• In the anime "Grandson of Nurarihen" by Hiroshi Shibashi in the second season there is a positive youkai character who turns into a weasel during the day named Itaku.
• In the cartoon "The Snow Queen", a white weasel named Luta is Gerda's friend, with whom she goes to the Snow Queen's castle.

Notes

In Sergei Antonov's novel "In the Interests of the Revolution" from the "Metro Universe 2033" series, the weasel plays one of the key roles in the resolution of the plot.

Literature

• // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional ones). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.

Links

• Siberian Zoological Museum
• "Notes of a hunter of Eastern Siberia." Weasel. Author Alexander Alexandrovich Cherkasov

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

See what “Weasel” is in other dictionaries:

1. CAREFUL, and; pl. genus. caress, dat. scam; and. 1. Manifestation of love, tenderness (expressed by kisses, touching hands, etc.). Maternal L. Spend affection. 2. Friendly, friendly attitude and treatment. Greet with affection. Welcome to visit... Encyclopedic Dictionary

Mercy, bliss, tenderness, affection, love, caress, kindness, friendliness, warmth, calf tenderness, softness, kindness Dictionary of Russian synonyms. affectionateness 1. see affectionateness. 2. cm... Dictionary of synonyms

CASE, caress, etc. see lasa. | For blacksmiths, weasel, a piece of iron is drawn with a hammer for welding. Pull back the affection. Dictionary Dalia. V.I. Dahl. 1863 1866 … Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

- (Lasca, 1503 1580) pseudonym of Antonio Francesco Grazzini, an Italian short story writer of the 16th century, who vividly and colorfully reflected in his short stories the life and mood of Italian life, ch. arr. Florentine bourgeoisie. A pharmacist by profession, L. was the founder... ... Literary encyclopedia

Weasel- Mustela nivalis see also 3.4.3. Genus Ferrets Mustela Weasel Mustela nivalis (body length 11-26 cm, tail 2-8 cm. Color in summer is sharply two-colored: the top and legs are brownish brown, the bottom is white. In winter the whole animal is snow-white. Steppe and ... ... Animals of Russia. Directory

Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

1. LASKA1, caresses, kind. pl. caress, woman 1. Showing tenderness and love. Warm the soul with affection. Motherly affection. Spend affection. 2. only units. Kind, friendly attitude, address (colloquial). Thank you for your kindness. With affection you can get him... ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

The weasel animal is a miniature representative of the mustelidae order. It is classified as a predator and does not at all live up to its tender name. The beast is considered very aggressive. They are often confused with martens, however, they are completely different animals, although they belong to the same species.

What does a weasel look like?

Externally, the animal is quite small, its length is no more than 22 cm, and its weight does not exceed 100 grams. This animal is nimble and agile, thin body allows you to make movements with ease. The beast has the following external characteristics:

• He has long tail, under which there are glands that produce a fetid odor.
• The paws have sharp claws.
• The muzzle has an elongated shape, the ears are rounded.
• The bulging dark eyes are very expressive, they give the muzzle a cute look.
• The neck has no grace, it is not thin at all.

The animal has attractive, although not long, fur. The color of the coat depends on the time of year and changes with molting. In winter the animal turns white, and in summer it is brown.

Behavior and character

This miniature beast is very predatory, sometimes distinguished by impudent behavior. Sometimes it sneaks into a person’s home to search for food.

The weasel is active and mobile, its periods of wakefulness occur both during the day and at night. He often hunts at night.

The animal does not like to show itself open spaces, prefers bushes and other places where you can retire.

The beast lives alone. Each individual allocates a territory for hunting and life activities of approximately 10 hectares. To mark its territory, the animal uses its natural scent, which it carries on its paws.

The animal has excellent abilities; it can climb, run, and swim. He does all this easily and quickly. He moves by jumping, covering up to two kilometers every day. In winter it moves through snowy voids. This animal is brave and aggressive; rodents, rabbits, lizards, and frogs are afraid of it.

Being small in size, the animal is often oppressed by larger animals, but at the same time manages to bite the enemy’s throat. In fights, males squeal loudly.

Habitat

The animal lives in Europe, North America, Mongolia, Egypt, Australia, and Japan. That is, the animal can be found almost all over the globe.

The animal is able to live in various natural areas, except for deserts and snowy mountainous areas. Weasels thrive in:

• tundra;
• on the banks of rivers and lakes;
• in steppe regions;
• in forest areas.

Sometimes she settles not far from people's homes.

The weasel animal is in no hurry to build its own house; it is easier for it to take over someone else’s hole. The weasel also creates a home in various natural gorges, under rocky layers or in human households. The inside of her house is covered with dried plants.

Weasels eat mice and other rodents: moles, field mice, rats. But if the animal managed to get into a human household, it will definitely find prey and steal a hen, rabbit or chick. If there are no living creatures, the weasel will feast on the eggs.

The beast causes a lot of damage to household plots. Poultry and rabbit breeders suffer from the invasion of this animal. If he lives close to the farmstead, he will constantly raid and destroy birds or rabbits.

If there is no favorite food, the animal can eat snake, lizard or fish. Sometimes the animal stores prey, hiding it in secluded corners. The insatiability of the weasel is sometimes terrible, since the animal kills by making reserves. For example, having entered a chicken coop, a weasel will destroy all the birds at once.

Eat popular belief that if a weasel tickles a cow, it will stop giving milk. Of course, the beast doesn't actually tickle the cattle. However, he drinks cow's milk straight from the udder, so the cow stops milking out of fear.

Catching a weasel is not easy, because she is fast and agile. However, there is no point in catching it - an adult animal cannot be domesticated. For home keeping, puppies are bought at the age of one to two months. The main thing is not to forget that this animal is exotic and needs special conditions of detention.

The animal is hunted using a trap placed near the hole through which it enters the chicken coop. When running away from a dog or person, a weasel may inadvertently fall into a trap. She does not eat pieces of poisoned food. Sometimes, to catch weasels, fishing hooks are attached to the hole, on which the weasel is easily caught, like a fish.

Weasel does not harm root crops, they don't interest her. The animal approaches its prey through underground passages.

The animal eats only 30-40 grams of food per day. Of course, this is not much.

Reproduction

In March the caresses begin mating games . At this time, fights take place between males for females. The events are accompanied by loud screams.

With the onset of pregnancy, the male leaves the female. Gestation of weasel cubs lasts 35 days. The mother prepares a home for the babies, she covers her nest with grass and moss, and creates coziness in the house for the babies.

The cubs that are born do not have vision. Puppies weigh no more than 2 grams. One mother gives birth to 3-8 puppies. First, the mother feeds them milk, and then gives them a small mouse, for which the kids fight. Upon reaching 4 months of age, babies leave their mother.

Weasel is a rather dangerous animal, despite its miniature size. She moves quickly and is not afraid of any obstacles. However, there is also a benefit from these animals; they destroy mice. In the places where weasels live, the number of rodents is controlled by it, which provides significant assistance to humans.

When meeting this animal in nature, you need to be careful. The person will not frighten the animal; the animal will take the position of an attacker. And getting rid of his tenacious teeth is very difficult.