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Least weasels driven from a mountain hare carcass by a stoat, as illustrated in Barrett-Hamilton's A History of British Mammals. The least weasel is small enough to be preyed upon by a range of other predators. [38] Least weasel remains have been found in the excrement of red foxes, sables, steppe and forest polecat, stoats, eagle owls and ...
In the UK, the term "weasel" usually refers to the smallest species, the least weasel (M. nivalis), [1] the smallest carnivoran species. [ 2 ] Least weasels vary in length from 173 to 217 mm ( 6 + 3 ⁄ 4 to 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in), [ 3 ] females being smaller than the males, and usually have red or brown upper coats and white bellies; some populations ...
They are found on all continents except Antarctica and Australia, and are a diverse family; sizes range, including tails, from the widespread 17 cm (7 in) least weasel to the 1.8-meter (6 ft) giant otter of Amazonian South America.
Sthenictis sp. (American Museum of Natural History). Mustelids vary greatly in size and behaviour. The smaller variants of the least weasel can be under 20 cm (8 in) in length, while the giant otter of Amazonian South America can measure up to 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) and sea otters can exceed 45 kg (99 lb) in weight.
Skulls of a long-tailed weasel (top), a stoat (bottom left) and least weasel (bottom right), as illustrated in Merriam's Synopsis of the Weasels of North America. The long-tailed weasel is the product of a process begun 5–7 million years ago, when northern forests were replaced by open grassland, thus prompting an explosive evolution of small, burrowing rodents.
Mustelinae is a subfamily of family Mustelidae, including weasels, ferrets, and minks. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] It was formerly defined in a paraphyletic manner to also include wolverines , martens , and many other mustelids, to the exclusion of the otters ( Lutrinae ).
Known only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized populations well outside its previous range. CR: Critically endangered: The species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild. EN: Endangered: The species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. VU: Vulnerable: The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the ...
The elk or wapiti (Cervus canadensis) is one of the largest species of deer in the world and one of the largest mammals in North America and eastern Asia. In the deer family ( Cervidae ), only the moose , Alces alces (called an "elk" in Europe), is larger, and Cervus unicolor (the sambar deer) can rival the C. canadensis elk in size.