The Probert Encyclopaedia of Nature

STOAT

The stoat is a carnivorous mammal of the family Mustelidae. Stoats are quick, strong and adept hunters. In winter, the stoat's reddish-brown above coat turns a white colour. 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.
Research Stoat