Wild Facts

Photo from Wikimedia

I can’t believe it is Friday already! Not only that but I am willing to bet your kids are starting to get excited about the prospect of a bag full of candy in a few days. Perhaps I will try to think of a good Halloween animal for Monday but first let’s learn about the Ermine, which is a member of the weasel family. This cute little creature is native to North America and Eurasia but has also expanded its range to include New Zealand, where it is wreaking havoc on the native bird populations. So pick a destination and lets go explore the life of the Ermine!

The Ermine is also known as a Stoat and is one of those lucky animals that disobeys the rules of fashion as they tend to wear white after Labour Day. Obviously, this white coat helps them blend in nicely with the *shudder*….. snowy landscape (side note – I don’t even want to think about snow but I know it is coming soon). Naturally, once the snow begins to melt, the Ermine will go back to their standard brown, with lighter undersides, wardrobe. So why do these animals need to blend in so much?

Photo by Steven Hint (Wikimedia)

Well, when you are only 33 cm (13″) long, you kind of make the perfect snack for numerous predators. For instance they need to be on the constant lookout for Coyotes, Badgers, Foxes, Wolverines and Owls, among other dangerous predators. As you can imagine, life it not easy for this poor little Ermine. I guess this may help explain the incredibly short life-span of the our colour-changing weasel. In the wild the Stoat has an average life expectancy of a year or two.

As a result of this short life-span, the female Ermine reaches maturity within a couple of months; however, since males tend to be slower (insert joke about guys here), the male Ermine takes at least 2 years to reach maturity. Of course this means they are usually only eligible for one mating season. Is it just me or does this sound like some distorted version of Romeo and Juliet, where the two Ermines fall in love but both end up dying shortly thereafter (I apologize if I ruined the ending of Romeo and Juliet for you).

So it looks like it is time to go and celebrate the weekend. Put the finishing touches on your Halloween costume and I will see you on Monday for a Spooktacular Wild Fact.

Least Weasel Checking Out Wild Facts - Anonymous Photo

I am shocked that today’s animal managed to weasel its way out of our Wild Facts for this long.  Well my friends today is the day that the Weasel gets its moment in the spotlight. I want to thank Clayton for coming to my rescue with an idea tonight since I was unable to think  of an animal I wanted to write about. Well enough small talk let’s get right into the interesting stuff shall we?

The Weasel is a small mammal that can be found all across the world excluding Antarctica and Australia.  In urban and rural areas the Weasel has a bad reputation since they tend to feed on eggs, chickens and rabbits from the farms. I guess farmers just don’t understand how scrumptious their livestock is to the weasel.  Aside from angering the farmers the weasel will also feed on mice, birds and other small rodents.

The small size of the weasel means that they tend to have several predators such as owls, birds of prey, snakes, cats, and of course the wonderful fox.  Although they are small and look like an easy dinner the speed and agility of the weasel makes it difficult for the oncoming predator.  If this isn’t enough it has been said that the weasel actually smells worse than a skunk as a result of their musk glands.  Would you really want to attack and eat something that smells worse than a skunk?

Yesterday we talked about the “pronking” Springbok well not to be outdone the weasel has a similar trick.  Only theirs is called the “Weasel War Dance” and is usually occurs when the weasel is excited or frightened.  This special dance usually consists of a series of sideways or backwards hops and is accompanied with an arched back, hissing noises and a frizzy tail. Come to think of it that is pretty much the same way that I dance after a few too many beverages.  In the wild it is believed that this dance is used to confuse their prey.  If you have ever owned a ferret than you will understand this dance that is usually associated with playing.

I hope you enjoyed today’s Weasel Fact.  Make sure you stop by tomorrow for a new and exciting Wild Fact!