I happened to get a quick look at a weasel recently. It was a rather large one, so I am assuming it was a long-tailed weasel.
Three species of weasels are native to our state, the long-tailed weasel, short-tailed weasel or ermine, and the least weasel. They vary in size, but all are brown above with whiteish-yellow undersides during the summer months and turn white during the winter.
The long-tailed weasel is our most widespread weasel and can be found throughout the state. It is also our largest. Male weasels are generally larger than females, and with the long-tailed weasels, the total length may range between roughly 17-14 inches. And as their name implies, long-tailed weasels tend to have longer tails in proportion to their body length, and in this case about a third of the total body length, or around 5-6 inches. The diet of long-tailed weasels can be quite variable and may include mice, pocket gophers, ground squirrels, rabbits, as well as some birds and their eggs.
The short-tailed weasel or ermine ranges mostly north and east of the Missouri River, but has been documented in a few localities to the south and west as well. It is a little smaller than the long-tailed weasel, with total body length in the range of 10-12 inches. As you might expect, the tail is a little shorter, being between 2-3 inches long. Short-tailed weasels feed mainly on mice and voles but are known to occasionally take larger prey such as rabbits.
The smallest weasel native to our state is the least weasel, with a total length of around 7 inches and lacks the black tip to the tail. Least weasels have a rather scattered distribution, mostly north and east of the Missouri River. Their small size is reflected in the smaller size of their prey, which is mostly mice and voles, but may include some insects and small birds and eggs
Reproduction in weasels and their relatives is rather unusual in that they have “delayed implantation.” Embryos develop for a short time, and then become dormant. After this “delay” development resumes and is timed so the young will be born in the spring when prey is abundant.
Weasels are promiscuous and have a comparatively long breeding season. Scientists have hypothesized that the delayed implantation enabling all the young to be born in the spring when food is abundant.
~Chuck Lura
