WEASELS

A weasel is like a small stoat, with a shorter tail without the black tip. The males are much larger than the females. The head and body of a male is about 20cm. and a female measures about 18cm. Weasels do not turn white in winter in Britain. Its distribution is similar to that of stoats.

Weasels are active by day and night, but they prefer to hunt under cover. They will use the runs of mice, voles and moles and are sometimes caught in mole traps.
They eat mainly mice, voles and shrews, but will probably kill and eat any other prey that they can master, including young rabbits, small birds and eggs.

The weasel differs from the stoat in its breeding habits. Weasels normally raise two litters a year, the first in late spring and then a second in late summer. The young are weaned after 4 to 5 weeks. The young from the first litter may breed in their first year.

Their numbers fluctuate with the number of mice and voles and, because mice and vole populations vary widely on a cyclical basis, weasel numbers probably vary more than stoat numbers.

For further information contact Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust