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The smallest carnivores usually burn energy the fastest and have the most active lifestyles, so it is no surprise that the Least Weasel, the miniature among mustelids, consumes roughly half its body weight each day—equal to about two deer mice and a vole. As with other weasels, adult females may be half the size of adult males, and they mature much more rapidly; females are sexually mature at four months, males at eight months. Females produce two litters each year, unlike the larger, slower-breeding Ermine and Long-tailed Weasel. In the north, the fur of the Least Weasel turns from brown to white in winter, camouflaging them in the snow.
Also known as:
Weasel, Dwarf Weasel, Pygmy Weasel, Mouse Weasel
Sexual Dimorphism:
Males are larger than females.
Length:
Range:
180-205 mm males; 165-180 mm females
Weight:
Range:
40-55 g males; 30-50 g females
References:
Linnaeus, C., 1766. Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classis, ordines, genera, species cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Twelfth Edition, p. 69. Laurentii Salvii, Uppsala, 1:1-532.
Links:
Mammal Species of the World
Click here for The American Society of Mammalogists species account
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