Stoat Mustela erminea

The Stoat is a similar colour to the Weasel for most of the year, but in the north in the winter its coat turns white for camouflage in the snow. The white fur with the black-tipped tail is known as "ermine" (also another name for the Stoat).

As the old saying goes: "How do you tell the difference between a weasel and a stoat?" "A weasel's weasily recognised; a stoat's stoatally different".
In fact a stoat is much larger: 35-40 cm long including the 10 cm tail. The tail is 2-3 times as long as that of the weasel and always has a black tip.

The Stoat's main prey is rabbits, which are significantly larger than a Stoat. It climbs and swims well and also eats birds and rodents.

The male Stoat performs a fast and agile dance, jumping and running in circles. An adult male Stoat (often the father) will impregnate female young so that they are pregnant when they leave the nest.

'Stoatally hot!