Ermine
| Class: Mammalia:
Mammals |
Diet: Small mammals |
| Order:
Carnivora: Carnivores |
| Size: body:
24 - 29 cm (9 1/2 - 11 1/2 in), tail: 8 - 12 cm (3 - 4 3/4 in) |
| Family: Mustelidae:
Mustelids |
Conservation Status:
Non-threatened |
| Scientific Name:
Mustela erminea |
Habitat: forest,
taiga, tundra |
| Range:
Europe, Asia, Northern U.S.A., Greenland; introduced in New Zealand |
 The
ermine is a highly skilled predator. It kills by delivering a powerful
and accurate bite to the back of the prey's neck. Rodents and rabbits are
the ermine's main diet, but it will also kill and eat other mammals --
including some bigger than itself -- as well as birds, eggs, fish and insects.
At the beginning of winter, in the northern part of its range, the ermine
loses its dark fur and grows a pure white coat, only the black tail tip
remaining. This white winter pelt is prized by the fur trade. Ermines produce
a litter of 3 to 7 young in April or May. The male assists in caring for
and feeding the young, which are helpless at birth. Their eyes do not open
until they are about 3 weeks old, but at 7 weeks young males are already
larger than their mother. There are 15 species of Mustela, including the
minks now farmed for their dense fur.
  
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