Long-tailed Weasel
Neogale frenata
- Class
- Mammal
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 3,845
- Most observed in
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
The long-tailed weasel (Neogale frenata), also known as the bridled weasel, masked ermine, or big stoat, is a species of weasel found in North, Central, and South America. It is distinct from the short-tailed weasel (Mustela erminea), also known as a "stoat", a close relation in the genus Mustela that originated in Eurasia and crossed into North America some half million years ago; the two species are visually similar, having long, slender bodies and tails with short legs and a black tail tip. Long-tailed weasels exhibit scale-dependent patterns of habitat selection, favoring forest patches,…
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Long-tailed weasel”.