Weasel
As Wiesel several be predator species in the genus Mustela in the family of Marder designated (Mustelidae). However, the naming is not a systematic one, since several "weasels", for example, are more closely related to the European mink than to each other. Two species are native to Europe, the mouse weasel and the ermine .
All of them have an elongated, slender body with short limbs, and the tail is also relatively short. They are rather small, with the mouse weasel, the smallest representative of the predators at all, is one of them. In most cases their fur is colored brown, the underside is often lighter, sometimes white. In some species there is a seasonal change of coat .
As a rule, weasels live solitary and are predominantly crepuscular or nocturnal . They are skillful, aggressive hunters who often snatch prey that are as big as them or even bigger. Small mammals such as rodents and rabbits make up a large part of the prey spectrum of many species, but birds and other vertebrates can also be on their menu.
The following species are known as weasels:
These five species are closely related to each other and form the subgenus Mustela .
- Mouse weasel ( Mustela nivalis )
- Ermine or short-tailed weasel ( Mustela erminea )
- Long-tailed weasel ( Mustela frenata )
- Altai weasel ( Mustela altaica )
- Yellow-bellied weasel ( Mustela kathiah )
These four other species are more closely related to the European mink and are classified in the subgenus Lutreola .
- Fire weasel ( Mustela sibirica )
- Wiesel backing strip ( Mustela strigidorsa )
- Bare-footed weasel ( Mustela nudipes )
- Indonesian mountain weasel ( Mustela lutreolina )
And these two species form their own subgenus, the South American weasel ( Grammogale ).
- Tropical weasel ( Mustela africana )
- Colombian weasel ( Mustela felipei )
Other "weasels" that do not belong to the genus Mustela are:
- Patagonian weasel ( Lyncodon patagonicus )
- Libyan weasel ( Poecilictis libyca )
- White- naped weasel ( Poecilogale albinucha )
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 6th edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
