Habits: Least weasels can be found wherever mice and other rodents are plentiful. They live in a variety of habitats including cultivated land, woodland, and mountains. Weasels live and hunt within a defined territory. The size of the territory depends on the type of habitat and the food supply. A male’s territory may cover up to 10 acres. A female has a much smaller territory that may overlap with those of other females. Individual territories are marked with the same strong smelling secretions from the anal scent glands that are released during the breeding season. The female remains in her territory throughout the year, but during the spring mating season, males may travel long distances outside their normal range to mate.

Food and Hunting: The least weasel’s preferred food is mice. Where mice thrive, there is likely to be a large population of weasels. Weasels do not breed when the fluctuating mice populations are low. Squirrels, rats, and rabbits are also common prey. A weasel often kills many more small animals than it can eat at one time. Weasels are good swimmers and hunt water mice. They also climb trees and search through bushes to find birds’ nests from which they eat the eggs and the young. They hunt mainly at night and locate prey with their sense of smell. They hunt primarily among bushes, stone walls, and open fields. The weasel attacks and eats animals much larger than itself, such as rabbits.

Breeding: the only time males and females come together is in the spring to mate. The litter, born five weeks later, ranges in number from three to eight young. The young are weaned at four to five weeks, but the mother continues to hunt and provide for them until they are two months old. The family group breaks up one to three weeks later. A young weasel is fully independent by the time it reaches 12 weeks.

Naturewatch: Although weasels are not particularly frightened by humans, you will have a better chance of spotting one if you wear dark clothing that blends in with the surroundings. Keep as quiet and still as possible, and position yourself downwind of the weasel so that it will not smell you. Weasels can be seen among hedges and in long grass, especially in places where there are many mice and other rodents. You may also see weasels standing on their hind legs to investigate the surroundings. If a weasel drops its prey and runs after it spots you, wait a few minutes until it returns to retrieve its food.

Key Facts:
Sizes:
Length: 8-11 in.
Height: 2-3 in. to shoulder
Weight: Male, up to 4 oz. Female, up to 2 oz.

Breeding:
Sexual maturity: Just under 1 year
Mating: Spring, usually April
Gestation: 34-37 days
Litter size: 3-8, usually 4-6

Lifestyle:
Habit: Ferocious. Hunts mainly at night. Generally solitary
Diet: Mainly mice, but also rats, moles, small birds, birds’ eggs, rabbits, and occasionally poultry
Lifespan: 1-2 years in the wild. Up to 10 years in captivity

Related Species: Closely related to the skunk and the otter.
Distribution: Found widely in Europe. Also seen in much of Asia, in North Africa, and in much of North America. Introduced to New Zealand.
Conservation: Although least weasels are not protected, they are under no threat as a species.

Features of the Least Weasel: 
Although the least weasel resembles its relative, the stoat, it is smaller, lacks the stoat’s black tail tip, and has a wavy flank line separating its white underbody from its reddish brown patches on its throat. Unlike the stoat, the weasel does not turn white in winter except in the most northern part of its range. The male weasel is considerably larger than the female, measuring approximately 8 in. (excluding tail) and weighing 4 oz. The head and body length of the average female weasel is 7 in. She weighs approximately 2 oz. The male is only slightly longer, but far heavier than the female.

Did You Know:
Female least weasels are so much smaller than males that they were once thought to be a different species.
A weasel’s burrow can be recognized by the remains of its prey – usually feet and tails – found at the entrance.
Weasels vary in color from light tan to a deep rust color. But most have brown spots or blotches on their underbody.
The fluid secreted by a weasel’s anal scent glands is similar to that of a skunk.

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