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The stoat (Mustela erminea) is a small mammal of the family Mustelidae. Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for Year 1758 ( MDCCLVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands Mustelidae or Mustelids (from Latin mustela, Weasel) commonly referred to as the weasel family, is a family of carnivorous Mammals It is also known as the short-tailed weasel and the ermine.
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Natural history
The stoat can be found almost everywhere throughout the northern temperate, subarctic and Arctic regions, of Europe, Asia, and North America. It was introduced into New Zealand in an unsuccessful attempt to control the rabbit population and is considered a serious pest because it eats the eggs and young of native birds. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Rabbits are small Mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world It is also regarded as a major predator of adult female endemic birds that nest in cavities such as holes in trees. The stoat is considered to be the prime cause of the decline and/or extinction of a number of endemic New Zealand bird species. Stoats are largely nocturnal or crepuscular but will sometimes come out during the day. As an Animal behavior, nocturnality describes sleeping during the Daytime and being active at Night - the opposite of the diurnal Crepuscular is a term used to describe animals that are primarily active during Twilight, hence at Dawn and at Dusk.
Physical description
The stoat is a member of the family Mustelidae, which also includes other weasels, mink, otters, ferret, badgers, polecats, the wolverine, martens, the tayra, the fisher and in some taxonomical classifications skunks. Mustelidae or Mustelids (from Latin mustela, Weasel) commonly referred to as the weasel family, is a family of carnivorous Mammals There are two living species of " mink," the American Mink and the European Mink. Otters are semi- aquatic (or in one case aquatic) fish-eating Mammals The otter subfamily Lutrinae forms part of the family The ferret is a domestic Mammal of the type Mustela putorius furo. Badger is the Common name for any animal of three subfamilies which belong to the family Mustelidae: the same Mammal family as the For the Wiltshire village see Marten Wiltshire. For the town in Bulgaria see Marten Bulgaria. The tayra ( Eira barbara) also known as the Tolomuco or Perico ligero in Central America is an omnivorous animal from the weasel family The fisher is a North American Marten, a medium-sized Mustelid. Skunks (sometimes referred to as polecats) are Mammals best known for their ability to excrete a strong foul-smelling odor. This is one of the most species-rich families in order Carnivora. The stoat moves in a sinuous manner when pursuing its prey extremely quickly over the ground considering its small size and is also a strong swimmer that is able to colonize offshore islands. Although it inhabits northern latitudes the stoat is built long and thin, leading to an increased surface area-to-volume ratio and increased dissipation of heat from its body. In Physics, heat, symbolized by Q, is Energy transferred from one body or system to another due to a difference in Temperature The advantage of this shape is that it is one of the few species able to follow burrowing animals into their own homes. It partly compensates for this shape by having short legs, small ears, a fast metabolism and, in winter, thick fur. A leg is a limb on an Animal 's Body that supports the rest of the animal above the ground between the Ankle and the Hip and is used for The ear is the sense organ that detects Sounds The Vertebrate ear shows a common biology from Fish to Humans with variations Metabolism is the set of Chemical reactions that occur in living Organisms in order to maintain Life. Fur is a body hair of any non-human Mammal, also known as the Pelage. Stoats may grow up to 30 cm long, with males much larger than the females. In most areas it coexists with the Least Weasel (Mustela nivalis, also known as the European common weasel), and in this situation competition is reduced by the Least weasel, the smallest member of order Carnivora. The Least Weasel ( Mustela nivalis) is the smallest member of the Genus Mustela, and indeed in the entire order Where the Least Weasel is absent the stoat is smaller (~70 g).
The stoat's coat is a rich medium brown with an off-white belly. In winter, the coat is thicker and in regions that experience an inch or more of snow for at least forty days of the year (such as in Armenia[1]), the color changes to clean white. Winter is one of the four Seasons of Temperate zones Calculated astronomically, it begins on the Solstice and ends on the Equinox Armenia (Հայաստան transliterated: Hayastan,) officially the Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն Hayastani This white fur is known as "ermine", a term originating either from the Latin phrase "Armenius mūs" ("Armenian rat")[2] or from a word common to the Germanic and Baltic languages,[3] hence the scientific name. At this stage the stoat itself may be referred to as ermine, or as being "in ermine". The winter stoat has been used in art as a symbol of purity or virginity. The white fur was highly prized, and used in the robes of the Lord Chief Justice of England. The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales was historically the second-highest judge of the Courts of England and Wales, after the Lord Chancellor. Both the animal and the heraldic tincture are symbols of Brittany. Brittany (Breizh bʁejs Bretagne; Gallo: Bertaèyn) is a former independent Celtic kingdom and Duchy, now incorporated into The furs would be sewn together making a pattern of black dots. A version of this pattern is used in heraldry as ermine tincture. In Heraldry, ermine is one of the furs used in Blazon, representing the skin of the stoat, known in medieval Latin as armenius (
In all seasons the stoat has a black tip to its tail. The black tip probably serves as a decoy to predators, which would include almost any carnivore large enough to eat a stoat (e. g. wolves, foxes, wolverines, and some birds of prey). This kind of coat is very similar to the coat of the long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata), a related animal of about the same size which also moults into white in the northern part of its range, and it is easy to confuse these kinds of weasels. The Long-tailed Weasel ( Mustela frenata) is the most widely distributed Mustelid in the New World. The North American name for the stoat, the "Short-tailed weasel" arose because its tail length distinguishes it from the long-tailed weasel. In general it is found farther north. Both species can be distinguished from the Least Weasel because the Least weasel always lacks a black tip on its tail. The Least Weasel ( Mustela nivalis) is the smallest member of the Genus Mustela, and indeed in the entire order
Geographical range
The stoat is native to the area between the 40th parallel (north) and the beginning of the Arctic Circle, which encompasses most of northern Eurasia and North America. The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For the superstate in George Orwell 's novel see Nations of Nineteen Eighty-Four.
They have been introduced to New Zealand and Australia to control a rabbit overpopulation but found an alternative source of food easier to catch thus leaving the rabbit problem unsolved. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Rabbits are small Mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world Overpopulation refers to a condition where an Organism 's numbers exceed the Carrying capacity of its Habitat. They were also brought to Terschelling Island to control water voles (Arvicola terrestris). Terschelling ( Skylge Terschelling dialect: Schylge) is a Municipality and an Island in the northern Netherlands, one This article deals with the European Water Vole For the article concerning the American species known as Water Vole see Water Vole (North America The These accomplishments have landed them on the list of top 100 worst invasive species. It is possible that they will spread to nearby islands, as the stoat can swim up to 1. 5 kilometers across seawater and have already reached several New Zealand offshore islands unaided. Maud Island which is 900 meters offshore has been invaded multiple times in the past 20 years. Maud Island, originally called Te Hoiere in the Māori language, is the second-largest island in the Marlborough Sounds on the northern tip of the Such feats may allow them to spread to be moved up on "the list" if they make it to the far south of Asia.
Diet
The stoat is a carnivore. It eats insects, rabbits; rodents such as the mouse, vole and rat; other small mammals; birds and their eggs and young; and sometimes fish, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates. Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described Rabbits are small Mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world Rodentia is an order of Mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously-growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must A mouse (plural mice) is a small Animal that belongs to one A vole is a small Rodent resembling a Mouse but with a stouter body a shorter hairy tail a slightly rounder head and smaller ears and eyes Rats are various medium sized long-tailed Rodents of the superfamily Muroidea Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. In most Birds and Reptiles an egg ( Latin ovum) is the Zygote, resulting from Fertilization of the Ovum. Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia are air-breathing Cold-blooded Vertebrates that have skin covered in scales as opposed to hair or feathers Prehistoric amphibian Amphibians (class Amphibia such as Frogs Toads Salamanders Newts Gymnophiona, Sirens and An invertebrate is an Animal lacking a Vertebral column. The group includes 98% of all animal Species — all animals except those in the Chordate It is a very skillful tree climber and can descend a trunk headfirst, like a squirrel. A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or A squirrel is one of the many small or medium-sized Rodents in the family Sciuridae. The stoat is capable of killing animals much larger than itself. When it is able to obtain more meat than it can eat it will engage in "surplus killing" and often stores the extra food for later. In modern English usage meat most often refers to Animal tissue used as food mostly Skeletal muscle and associated Fat, but it may also refer Food is any substance usually composed primarily of Carbohydrates Fats water and/or Proteins that can be eaten or drunk by an When this is the case, it will often kill by breaking the prey's neck without marking the body, presumably so its cache does not spoil easily. Like other mustelids it typically dispatches its prey by biting into the base of the skull to get at the centers of the brain responsible for such important biological functions as breathing. Mustelidae or Mustelids (from Latin mustela, Weasel) commonly referred to as the weasel family, is a family of carnivorous Mammals The brain is the center of the Nervous system in animals All Vertebrates and the majority of Invertebrates have a brain Breathing takes Oxygen in and Carbon dioxide out of the body Aerobic Organisms require oxygen to create energy via respiration, in Sometimes it will also make preliminary bites to other areas of the body. In most areas in which stoats and least weasels co-exist, the Least weasel generally takes smaller prey and the stoat slightly larger prey. The larger male stoats generally take larger prey than females. Commonly, the stoat falls prey to animals such as the wolf, fox, cat or badger.
Reproduction
The stoat is territorial and intolerant of others in its range, especially others of the same sex. Within its range, it typically uses several dens, often taken from prey species. It usually travels alone, except when it is mating or is a mother with older offspring. It breeds once a year, producing several young kits (or kittens) per litter, and its mating system is promiscuous. Copulation occurs during the mating season with multiple partners and is often forced by the male, who does not help raise the offspring. Sometimes it occurs when the female is so young she has not even left the den. In spite of being such a small animal, the stoat's gestation is among the longest reported for mammals (11 months) because of the adaptation of delayed implantation, or embryonic diapause, in which a fertilized egg is not implanted in the uterus until months later. Gestation is the carrying of an Embryo or Fetus inside a Female Viviparous Animal. The month is a unit of Time, used with Calendars which is approximately as long as some natural period related to the motion of the Moon; The uterus (from the Latin word for womb) is the major Female reproductive organ of most Mammals including Humans One end the The animal's "real" gestation is much shorter. This is presumably an adaptation to the highly seasonal environment in which the stoat lives.
Senses and behavior
Communication (and also location of prey) occurs largely by scent, since the stoat as typical of mammals has a sensitive olfactory system. Olfaction (also known as olfactics or smell) refers to the Sense of smell. The Olfactory helps and relates sense of smell. The olfactory system is the Sensory system used for Olfaction. As a result much of this communication is missed by human observers. However, stoats are believed to identify females in estrus by scent, and also the sex, health and age of prey. Oestrus is also the biological genus name of the gadfly. The estrous cycle (also oestrous cycle; derived from Latin Some kinds of rodents such as voles have counter-adapted by being able to shut down reproduction (which makes females slower and easier to catch) if they smell the odor of mustelids. Mustelidae or Mustelids (from Latin mustela, Weasel) commonly referred to as the weasel family, is a family of carnivorous Mammals The stoat's visual resolution is lower than that of humans and color vision is poor, although night vision is superior. Color vision is the capacity of an organism or machine to distinguish objects based on the Wavelengths (or frequencies) of the Light they reflect or emit Like most other non-primate mammals they have dichromatic colour vision (they can distinguish long from short wavelengths of light, but cannot make distinctions of hue within those bands). Dichromacy in humans is a moderately severe color vision defect in which one of the three basic color mechanisms is absent or not functioning Tactile information is conferred by the vibrissae, or whiskers. When alarmed, a stoat can release a powerful musky smell from glands near its anus.
Subspecies
- Mustela erminea
- Yellow-necked ermine Mustela erminea ? Range: Northern Shaanxi, China
- Mustela erminea alascensis
- Mustela erminea algiricus
- Mustela erminea anguinae
- Mustela erminea angustidens
- Mustela erminea Arctica
- Mustela erminea audax
- Mustela erminea bangsi
- Mustela erminea celenda
- Mustela erminea fallenda
- Mustela erminea ferghanae
- Mustela erminea gulosa
- Ermine haidarum Mustela erminea haidarum Range: Queen Charlotte Islands, Canada
- Mustela erminea herminea
- Mustela erminea hibernica (Thomas and Barrett-Hamilton)
- Mustela erminea imperii
- Mustela erminea initis
- Mustela erminea invicta
- Mustela erminea kadiacensis
- Mustela erminea kanei
- Mustela erminea labiata
- Mustela erminea leptus
- Mustela erminea lymani
- Mustela erminea microtis
- Mustela erminea mortigena
- Ermine weasel Mustela erminea muricus
- Hondo stoat Mustela erminea nippon Range: Central and northern Honshū, Hondo Stoat Japan
- Olympic ermine Mustela erminea olympica Range: Olympic Peninsula, Washington
- Ezo Stoat Mustela erminea orientalis Range: Hokkaidō, Japan; Japanese: ezo-itachi "Ezo weasel", okojo "stoat/weasel", shiro-ten "white marten"
- Mustela erminea polaris
- Mustela erminea pusilla
- Mustela erminea richardsonii
- Mustela erminea rixosa
- Mustela erminea salva
- Mustela erminea seclusa
- Mustela erminea semplei
- Mustela erminea streatori
- Mustela erminea vulgaris
- Mustela erminea whiteheadi
Stoats and the nobility
The skins of stoats were prized by the fur trade, especially in winter coat, and used to trim coats and stoles. ( Postal map spelling: Shensi) is a north-central province of the People's Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Queen Charlotte Islands or Haida Gwaii ("Islands of the People" and originally in Haida, Xhaaidlagha Gwaayaai ("islands on or Honshu is the largest Island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Geography The Olympic Peninsula is home to some of the only Temperate rain forests in the world including the Hoh, Queets, and Quinault Washington ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. WikipediaWikiProject Japanese prefectures for guidelines --> formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan 's WikipediaWikiProject Japanese prefectures for guidelines --> formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan 's Weasels are Mammals in the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. The fur from the winter coat is referred to as "ermine". In Europe these furs were a symbol of royalty; the ceremonial robes of members of the UK House of Lords are trimmed with ermine, though artificial fur is now used. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The House of Lords is the second house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is also commonly referred to as "the Lords" The ermine was also considered a symbol of purity in Europe. In the Renaissance era, legend had it that an ermine would die before allowing its pure white coat to be besmirched. The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere When it was being chased by hunters, it would supposedly turn around and give itself up to the hunters rather than risk soiling itself. Henry Peacham's Emblem 75, which depicts an ermine being pursued by a hunter and two hounds, is entitled "Cui candor morte redemptus" or "Purity bought with his own death. Henry Peacham is the name shared by two English Renaissance writers who were father and son " Peacham goes on to preach that men and women should follow the example of the ermine and keep their minds and consciences as pure as the legendary ermine keeps its fur. [4] In some Nordic countries the stoat is invoked as a symbol of curiosity and timely action. In some areas of Japan, because of its adorable appearance and somewhat elusive nature it is still considered a symbol of good luck. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics.
References in pop culture
- In the book The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame, stoats were among the occupiers of Toad Hall after Mr. Toad was imprisoned. The Wind in the Willows is a classic of Children's literature by Kenneth Grahame, first published in 1908. Kenneth Grahame ( March 8, 1859 – July 6, 1932) was a British Writer, most famous for The Wind in the Willows Mr Toad, of Toad Hall, is one of the main characters in the novel The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and also the play based on
- In the Redwall series, by Brian Jacques, stoats appear as antagonists in virtually every book. Redwall is a series of Fantasy novels by Brian Jacques. It is the title of the first book of the series published in 1986 the name of the Abbey (James Brian Jacques (pronounced "Jakes" (born June 15, 1939) is an English author, best
- In The Wild Thornberrys, a stoat was an antagonist in the episode Show Me The Bunny. The Wild Thornberrys is an American Animated television series that aired on Nickelodeon from 1998 to 2004
- In the His Dark Materials series, by Philip Pullman, the main character's daemon frequently takes the form of an ermine. His Dark Materials is a Trilogy of Fantasy Novels by Philip Pullman comprising Northern Lights (1995 Philip Pullman CBE (born October 19, 1946) is an English writer.
- In the anime/manga Negima the character Chamo is a talking Ermine. Negima! Magister Negi Magi Also, being transformed into an ermine is a punishment for various crimes.
- In the Eddie Dickens Trilogy, by Philip Ardagh, Even Madder Aunt Maud has a stuffed stoat she carries with her everywhere and calls Malcolm. Eddie Dickens is the lead character in six books by British author Philip Ardagh: Awful End (US A House called Awful End Dreadful Acts Philip Ardagh (born September 11, 1961 in London) is the best-selling British children's author of the Eddie Dickens books including Awful
- The popular website Cute Overload uses a stoat themed song to encourage voting. Cute Overload is a Weblog consisting of photos and videos of " cute " animals
Gallery
.jpg/120px-Brehms_Het_Leven_der_Dieren_Zoogdieren_Orde_4_Hermelijn_(Putorius_erminea).jpg) Painting of Putorius erminea (Mustela erminea) |
 Painting (the animal is deemed a ferret rather than an ermine) |
 Tracks on snow |
 Stoat in a tree |
Footnotes
- ^ Christopher J. The ferret is a domestic Mammal of the type Mustela putorius furo. Walker, "Armenia: Survival of a Nation," London, 1990
- ^ ermine - Definitions from Dictionary.com
- ^ Indo-European etymology : List with all references
- ^ The Minerva Britanna Project
References
- King, Carolyn. The Natural History of Weasles and Stoats. London: A & C Black, 1987. ISBN 0747018006.
- Mustelid Specialist Group (1996). Mustela erminea. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List) created in 1963 is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 9 May 2006.
- Buckley, D. J. , Sleeman, D. P. and Murphy, J. 2007. Feral ferrets Mustela putorius furo L. in Ireland. Ir. Nat. L. 28:356–360.
- Molinia F. ; La Falci S. ; Myers V. ; McLane D. (2007) Non-invasive monitoring of stoat reproductive hormones. Science for Conservation 276. p 24. Department of Conservation, New Zealand. [1]
External links
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