The stoat (Mustela Erminea) is a carnivorous mammal of the weasel family Mustelidae found over temperate Europe, but common only in the north,. Stoats are quick, strong and adept hunters. In winter, the stoat's reddish-brown above coat turns a white colour. In both states the tip of the tail is black. A stoat with a white winter coat is called an ermine. The stoat has a body about 25 cm long, with a tail about 10 cm long. The female is smaller than the male, about 20 cm long in the body. Stoats live in hollow trees and in holes in banks, where they build a nest of grass and leaves for the young which are born around April. Stoats feed on mice, rats, voles, hares and rabbits. Like many other species of this genus the stoat has the faculty of ejecting a fluid of a musky odour. Its fur is short, soft, and silky; the best skins being brought from Russia, Sweden, and Norway. Stoat fur and particularly ermine were formerly in great demand; it was formerly one of the insignia of royalty, and is still used by judges. When used as linings of cloaks the black tuft from the tail is sewed to the skin at irregular distances. Research Stoat
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Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Nature
Research Stoat
