Skip to Content

Stoats

stoat

This post is dedicated to the adorable, but nonetheless highly talented predator, stoat.

Animals have been present on our Earth from approximately 635 million years to 541 million years ago. According to estimations, there are over 7 million species of animals worldwide. Animals have always been interesting to study due to their distribution, presence in ecological systems, abundance, and strategic relationship with human beings.

stoat

Out of the total existing species, it is a normal occurrence to come across some forms of animals that amazes both the everyday person as well as zoologists. The reason for this perplexity can range from their diversity and exclusivity. This is definitely the case when it comes to the creatures known by the name of Stoats.

The following post is a compilation of peculiar details about the lifestyle and behaviors of stoats.

How Can You Define a Stoat?

stoat

A stoat is a small mustelid, closely associated with Weasels and Otters. They possess an orange-colored body and characteristic tail with a distinct black tip. It has the ability to move swiftly, possibly up to 20 miles an hour. They have a distinguishing pattern of leaping and jumping when moving across the ground.

The stoat is a small-sized hunter, with a characteristic elongated, low-lying body that makes it well-matched to predating little rodents. It can effortlessly slaughters a full-grown rabbit, which is considerably bigger in size than itself. The stoat executes the predation plan by biting at the base of its skull.

Stoats are energetic during both day and night and one can spot them in open-air habitats. These include sand dunes, grasslands, and heathlands. They are astonishingly multi-talented – famous for their ability to run, swim, climb trees, and even dance, according to some theories. These little marauders are difficult to spot. If seen, are no more than a brief sight before they scurry along again. 

An Interesting Trait of Stoat Fur

white stoat

The stoats dwelling in countries located in the North exhibit a fascinating trait displayed by the animal’s fur. During the summers, their standard fur color is red and brown. However, a remarkable shift in fur color takes place during the winters. The fur develops into a thick coating covering the body, turning into a completely white color. This provides them with a complete disguise in the winter snow.

What Animals Are They Commonly Confused With?

Although stoats are distinctive animals, there is a great possibility for them to be confused with Weasels. This is owing to the many similarities between these creatures. Due to the many shared traits, the most dependable technique to distinguish a Stoat (Mustela Erminea) from a Weasel (Mustela Nivalis) is by its tail. 

A stoat has a tail that is about half the length of its body, and which ends in a shaggy tail with a discrete black tip. In contrast, a weasel’s completely brown-colored tail is petite and broad compared to that of a Stoat.

Taxonomic Classification of the Stoat


Kingdom

Animalia
SubkingdomBilateria
InfrakingdomDeuterostomia
PhylumChordata
SubphylumVertebrata
InfraphylumGnathostomata

Superclass
Tetrapoda
ClassMammalia
SubclassTheria
InfraclassEutheria
OrderCarnivora
SuborderCaniformia
FamilyMustelidae
SubfamilyMustelinae
GenusMustela
SpeciesMustela Erminea

The Stoat’s Preferred Habitat

ermine

Stoats are present all over mainland Britain and Ireland. In the latter, it is often referred to as weasel out of confusion. They live in woodlands and other territories like grasslands, marshes, and mountains. Their only requirements are adequate shelter to hide in and the availability of plenty of prey, be it rabbits, rodents, and birds.

The stoat has a boreal distribution throughout North AmericaEurope, and Asia. In the European region, on can spot it in South Portugal and it dwells on most islands with the exclusion of IcelandSvalbard, the Mediterranean islands, and certain trivial North Atlantic islands.

Also, the stoats reside in central highlands, particularly the northern and central Japanese Alps, the northern part of the Honshu region, and Hokkaido. In the region of North America, Stoats can be found all the way through Alaska and the western Yukon. Additional sightings can be limited to the geographical regions of Arctic CanadaGreenland, and Nunavut, including Baffin Island and some islands in Southeastern Alaska.

Distinctly Known Behaviors of Stoats

Stoats living in colder climates have a tendency to turn nearly entirely white, with only a distinct black tip towards the end of the tail, on a seasonal basis. This is referred to as ‘ermine,’ and the coat is superfluously dense in order to preserve their body warmth. Contrary to this, the animals living in warmer regions of the UK may not modify their color at all. At most, their fur may take on a ‘patchy’ appearance.

The stoats have a flexible, swift body that permits them to travel both above ground and through underground burrows skilfully. The female stoat chases its prey in tunnels much more than the males. Stoats can also run effortlessly through the snow. This supreme chaser hunts in a zigzag pattern, succeeded by a sequence of hops reaching heights of 20 inches.

Stoats explore each crack and gap, frequently discontinuing the journey in order to review their settings by looking around and standing erect by the support of their rear legs. They are capable of covering distances of about 19,5 miles in a single night.

Stoats are also famous for their intense sense of smell, sight, hearing, and touch, which aid them in tracing prey. Mustelids are largely noiseless creatures, but certain communicative sounds may be adopted in intraspecific communication. Biochemical signals are the chief means of communication for reproductive purposes between probable mates.

Nesting Behaviors

Females have a tendency to live in their birthplace during the full course of their lives. On the other hand, males disband and inhabit bigger terrains that typically incorporate or overlay multiple females’ zones. Male and female stoats merely have a relationship with one another for the duration of the breeding period.

The stoats famously don’t dig their own burrows. Instead, they use the burrows and nest chambers of the rodents it kills. The peels and underfur of rodent victims line the chamber. Occasionally, the nest chamber is positioned in inappropriate dwellings, such as among wood piles alongside the walls of houses.

The stoat also dwells in decomposing stubs, underneath tree roots, in piles of brushwood, haystacks, in swamp mounds, in the fissures of empty mud buildings, in rock piles, rock crevices, and even magpie nests. Males and females enjoy living separately but in closer proximity to each other. Every single stoat has numerous holes disseminated within its range. Each den has more than a few galleries, typically within 12 inches of ground level.

Dietary Preferences of Stoats

YouTube video

Stoats are carnivorous or flesh-eating animals that primarily chase their prey in the nighttime. They are expert predators of small-sized, warm-blooded vertebrates, with a preference for mammals the size of a rabbit or smaller. At times, when mammalian prey is infrequent, they happily feed on birds, eggs, frogs, fish, and insects.

In harsh weather, stoats can pursue their prey beneath the snow. They stay alive exclusively on tiny rodents and lemmings when there is little food availability. Daily meals are crucial for fulfilling the dietary requirements needed for the production of extortionate energy and heat. Stoats reserve and accumulate excess meals as a mode of managing restricted food supply and increased demands.

As soon as it spots a potential victim, the stoat devises a line of attack by reaching as close as possible. All of it is executed with implausible speed, which is followed by grasping the back of the prey’s head with piercing teeth and wrapping its body and feet all over the victim. The prey passes away owing to the recurrent bites to the base of the skull.

Reproductive Patterns

white ermine

In the region of the Northern Hemisphere, the breeding of stoats falls in the period stretching from April to July. During spring, the male sex organs (testes) become distended and engorged, followed by an intensification of the hormone known as testosterone.

Spermatogenesis, which can be explained as the production of sperm, happens around the month of December. The male stoats are fertile from the month of May to August, followed by the relapse of testes.

Female stoats are in heat for a transitory period, which is believed to be prompted by variations in day length. Copulation has been observed to continue for about an hour. Stoats are not monogamous, with broods frequently being of diverse paternity. 

They also go through embryonic diapause, which means that the embryo does not instantaneously implant in the uterus following fertilization. Rather, it stays inactive for a duration of approximately 9 to 10 months.

Their pregnancy is consequently flexible but normally lasts about 300 days. Subsequently, copulation in the summer months will mean that the offspring will be born in the following spring. Adult female stoats spend nearly their whole lives either pregnant or in a state of heat. Females can consume their embryos, and in the occurrence of a stark winter, they may reabsorb their complete litter.

Caring for the Young

Male stoats have no significant share in nurturing the young. At birth, the young stoats are highly dependent owing to their lack of vision, along with compromised hearing and eating ability. The newborn is toothless and concealed in a fine fur of white or pink color. Babies attain their first temporary teeth at the age of 3 weeks. This allows them to feed off solids by the 4th week of their life. 

They open their eyes by the 5th to 6th week. A week later, their tail develops into the characteristic black tip. Assisted feeding continues till the 12th week of life. Until the age of 5-7 weeks, baby stoats are deprived of body temperature regulation. Therefore, they clump together for warmth in the absence of their mother. Males attain sexual maturity around 10-11 months. On the other hand, females become sexually mature by the age of 2 to 3 weeks already.

Predators of Stoats

Stoats are known for their immense and extreme predation behaviors. But on the flip side, they themselves serve as prey to certain animals. These include red foxes, gray foxes, American martens, fishers, American badgers, raptors, and domestic cats.

Diseases 

The disease known as tuberculosis has been verified in stoats living in eastern Europe and New Zealand. They are principally resilient to tularemia. On the other hand, they often undergo canine distemper in confinement.

Cultural and Mythological Existence

stoat

The Irish mythological studies highlight the fact that stoats were regarded anthropomorphically as creatures with families which performed ceremonies for their deceased. Historically they were also considered poisonous animals predisposed to stealing. Similarily, their saliva was believed to be capable of poisoning an adult man.

The folklore also supports the belief that it was bad luck if a stout was encountered before the start of a journey. It was also believed that one’s bad luck could be averted by welcoming the stoat as a neighbor. Another popular conviction held by the masses was that they held the souls of babies who passed away before being baptized.

In the legend popular among the Komi people of the Urals, stoats are representative of attractive and desirable young ladies. The Zoroastrians consider the stoat a blessed and sacred animal, as its white winter fur signifies pureness. Likewise, Mary Magdalene was portrayed as fashionably wearing a white stoat pelt to symbolize her transformed character.

According to one widely held European fairytale, it is believed that a white stoat would prefer dying before permitting its clean white coat to get soiled.

Interesting Facts about Stoats

  • The normal life expectancy of a stoat is around 1-2 years, and the maximum is up to 7 years.
  • They are slim, swift, greedy mammals measuring up to 5-11 inches.
  • The tail on its own measures a length of 2-5 inches.
  • Stoats weigh as much as 0.7 pounds.
  • Adult female stoats are smaller in size than male stoats. Also, the individuals residing in the northern region are significantly smaller than their southern equivalents.
  • Stoats prefer living on their own and are provincial. They reproduce one time per year, resulting in numerous babies called kits. The kits mature for another 8 to 9 months following the female gestation.
  • The word stoat derives from the Dutch word “stout,” meaning naughty, or the Gothic word “stautan,” meaning to push.
  • Its fur has historically been used in royal robes in Europe. The word ermine also denotes the animal’s white pelt, a crucial part of the fur trade.

Relationship with Human Beings

Human beings are known to set up traps for thousands of stoats every season; nonetheless, the demand for their furs has recently declined. Previously, the white wintertime pelt has frequently been used in the adornment of coats and the manufacture of shawls. Stoats are exceptional predators of mice, thus making them prized by humans.

Key Points

The white wintertime stoat fur has been recycled in the adornment of coats and in the manufacture of shawls.
Stoats are energetic by day and night and are spotted with ease in open-air habitats, for instance, sand dunes, grassland, and heathland.
Stoats living in colder climates have a tendency to turn nearly entirely white, with only a distinct black tip towards the end of the tail.
Stoats are known to effortlessly slaughter a full-grown rabbit, which is considerably bigger in size than itself.
Males attain sexual maturity at around 10 to 11 months, whereas females become sexually mature by the age of 2 to 3 weeks.
The stoats are known for their characteristic behavior of not digging their own burrows, rather they use the burrows and nest chambers of the rodents it kills and feeds on.

 Wrapping up the Journey

ermine

The entire post, from start to the end, is in itself an exciting journey allowing us to uncover the many aspects of the stoats’ life. Quite possibly, this might be the first interaction with Stoats for many. Therefore, we’ve made an effort to introduce the animal in the most comprehensive way possible.

Stoats are interesting and dynamic creatures dwelling in the northern part of the globe and continually breeding. All facets of their lives are remarkable, be it the transition of fur color during summers and winters or the characteristic hunting pattern of their prey.

The research on stoats has enabled us to learn certain typical and atypical behaviors exhibited by the animal for communication, breeding, and dietary preferences in their respective habitats.

Thank you for reading this article! If you want to delve deeper into the world of rodents, continue learning by reading our post on the Vole vs. Mouse.