Japan weasel
| Japan weasel | ||||||||||||
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Japan weasel ( Mustela itatsi ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Mustela itatsi | ||||||||||||
| Temminck , 1844 |
The Japanese weasel ( Mustela itatsi ) is a predator from the marten family . At times it was considered a subspecies of the fire weasel ( Mustela sibirica ).
features
The males reach a head-trunk length of 28 to 39 centimeters, a tail length of 15.5 to 21 centimeters and a weight of 650 to 820 grams; fully grown they weigh almost twice as much as the females. In the females, the head-trunk length is 25 to 30.5 centimeters, the tail length 13.3 to 16.4 centimeters and the weight 360 to 460 grams. The Japanese weasel has a long, slender body and short legs. The summer fur is dark brown, the winter fur almost yellowish brown. The upper lips and chin are white.
distribution
The distribution area extends over the Japanese islands of Honshū , Kyushu , Shikoku , Sado , the Oki Islands , Izu-Ōshima , Awaji-shima , Shōdoshima , Iki , the Gotō Islands , Yakushima and Tanegashima . In 1880 the Japanese weasel was naturalized on Hokkaidō . To reduce rat populations, it was introduced on over 50 islands, including Sakhalin , Rishiri , Rebun , Miyake-jima , Hachijō-jima , Aogashima , Aoshima (in Nagasaki Prefecture ), Kuchino-shima , Nakano-shima , Suwanose-jima , Hira-jima, Akuseki-jima , Kikai-shima, Okinoerabu-jima , Yoronjima (in Kagoshima Prefecture ), Zamami , Akajima, Minami-daitō , Kita-daitō , Irabu-jima , Iriomote, and Hateruma (in Okinawa Prefecture ).
habitat
The Japanese weasel is found in forests near water, sometimes near human settlements.
Way of life
The Japanese weasel is nocturnal and goes solitary in search of food. The diet consists of insects, fish, reptiles and small mammals, including rats. In addition, fruits are added in winter and spring, and arthropods and crustaceans in summer and autumn. Little is known about mating behavior. The mating season is in late winter, the young are born in spring.
status
The Japanese weasel is common and is classified by the IUCN as "not endangered" ( least concern ).
literature
- Serge Larivière & Andrew P. Jennings: Family Mustelidae (Weasels and relatives) In: Don E. Wilson & Russel Mittermeier (Eds.) Handbook of the Mammals of the World Volume 1: Carnivores . Lynx Edicions. 2009. p. 651. ISBN 978-84-96-553-49-1
Web links
- Mustela itatsi in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: Abramov, A. & Wozencraft, C., 2008. Accessed June 12 of 2009.