Feature Article October 16, 2003
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WeaselsWhat does the word 'weasel' bring to mind? When applied to a human it is usually in a negative manner, indicating that person is sly, sneaky and not to be trusted. Is this connotation to the animal deserved? Not really. The weasel is simply a determined hunter with a very high metabolism that must be maintained. It was believed by the Inuit that the weasel's skin possessed spiritual powers and hunters would carry these skins in hope of hunting success.
Agile, active, skillful and ferocious, they will sometimes attack animals four times their own size, and if cornered, will attack a person. With short, well-muscled jaws they kill by biting the neck of their prey at the base of the skull. Legend says weasels suck blood, as the weasel's snout is bloodied after a kill and the prey is not all eaten, but this is not the case. Because of its small size, it will eat only a small portion of larger prey at that time and will cache the remainder for a later meal. Yes, it will kill poultry if it is able to get into a coop, and yes, it may kill more than one. Apparently the smell of blood in an enclosed space may sometimes trigger a killing instinct.
Nevertheless, these animals are beneficial! Not commonly seen though they may hunt both day and night, the weasels may bound over the ground, dart among the rocks, or climb trees, and readily slip into the tunnels or burrows of rodents looking for food. The most common prey are voles and mice, followed by cottontails, rats and shrews. It is said one male weasel can kill up to five hundred mice a year - putting any cat to shame! They will also eat fish, amphibians, birds and bird eggs, insects and some vegetation. A silent hunter, you may suddenly catch a movement as it peers curiously out of a rockpile with its bright, dark eyes, and then it is gone as quickly as it has come.
There are three species of weasels that could be seen here. All three are brown above, with whitish underparts, and in their northern ranges all are white in winter, when their fur is much appreciated by trappers. The Least Weasel, the smallest living carnivore (according to a Peterson Field Guide), feeds mostly on Meadow Voles - it is an effective mouser and entirely beneficial. It has white feet and a short tail which has no black tip. The Short-tailed Weasel or Ermine has the most highly-prized pelt of the three. It also has white feet but its tail is black-tipped for about one-third of its length The Long-tailed Weasel, the largest of the three, with the longest tail which also has a black tip, and brownish feet, is found in all types of habitat near water.
When snow covers the ground, weasels may tunnel underneath, or you may see their beautiful tracks at the edge of fields or along a swamp or marsh small paired prints spaced a foot or more apart. And sometimes, you may find these prints between two small holes in the snow where the animal has come up from its tunneling, darted over the snow, then abruptly plunged below again.
Observations: The Indian summer weather has triggered the Southern Lady Beetle, stirred the Cluster Flies, and roused the Compton Tortoiseshell Butterflies to activity as all seek over- wintering shelter. From Bill Templeton: two groups of three Sandhill Cranes were sighted in the Tamworth area. Quite a sight. Recent wind storms probably blew them off course.
What have you seen? Call Jean at 268-2518.
