Tag Archives: Mammal

Don’t stoat around… at least not too much!

• Stoats are small mammals that are close relatives of weasels, and they originate in North America, Asia and Europe.
• The scientific name of a stoat is Mustela erminea, and it is from the family Mustelidae, the family of weasels.
• ‘Stoats’ are also known as ‘short-tailed weasels’, ‘Bonaparte weasels’ and ‘ermines’, and they occupy a wide range of habitats.
• Stoats range from 17 to 35 centimetres (6.7 to 13.8 inches) in length, and generally weigh between 180 to 258 grams (6.3 to 9.1 ounces).
• The coat of a stoat is typically coloured a combination of brown, black and tan with a white underside, and when the animal moults in autumn, the fur will usually grow back as a lighter colour for camouflaging purposes in winter, and this new fur coat can be completely white except for the tip of its tail, although the resulting colour change depends on the geographical region and climate that the animal lives in.

Stoat
Image courtesy of Mark Kilner/Flickr

• Stoats live in territories and occupy multiple dens, that are often the original home of past prey and these can be hollows, nests, burrows or other small sheltered areas.
• The diet of stoats varies, depending on their location, and it can include rabbits, rodents, lizards, insects, birds and fish; and they are preyed upon by wild cats, foxes and snakes.
• The fur of stoats has been historically used by humans for winter clothing purposes, and commonly for ornamental reasons, especially by nobility.
• Stoats were introduced to New Zealand in the late 1800s for the purpose of reducing rabbit numbers, however, as predicted, they have had a significant, negative environmental impact, and have threatened numerous native species of birds.
• Female stoats typically give birth to between 5 and 15 young at one time, and they usually have only one litter during their life, which is an average of 4 to 6 years.

Bibliography:
Stoat, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/stoat/

Stoat, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoat

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Any wolverine you come across may be slightly dangerous.

• Wolverines are mammals found in the northern areas of the Northern Hemisphere, and the largest population can be found in America’s Canada.
• A ‘wolverine’ is also known as a ‘carcajou’, ‘skunk bear’, ‘glutton’ and ‘quickhatch’, while its scientific name is Gulo gulo, and it is from the family Mustelidae, the family of weasels.
• Wolverines look somewhat like a bear, and they have notably lengthy claws and a strong jaw; and the fur is significantly water repellant which is mostly coloured brown and black.
• Wolverine habitats range from alpine tundras to forests of the taiga and subarctic; and they usually live alone.
• Wolverines range from 65 to 107 centimetres (26 to 42 inches) in length, and generally weigh between 9 to 32 kilograms (20 to 71 pounds),  and they are the largest species in the weasel family that live on land.

Wolverine
Image courtesy of Tambako the Jaguar/Flickr

• Mammals make up the primary diet of wolverines, and includes rodents, foxes, weasels, moose and deer, and occasionally vegetation, eggs, insects and birds.
• Female wolverines give birth every two or three years around spring, to an average of two or three kits; and the typical lifespan of the animal ranges from 8 to 15 years, and they have been kept successfully in zoos.
• Although classified as least concern, wolverine numbers have been declining, and are threatened from illegal hunting in some areas, as well as loss of habitat.
• Wolverines are notable in both film and literature, particularly as the concept of the Marvel Comic superhero of the same name.
• When threatened or trying to repel fellow competitors, wolverines may excrete an unpleasant smell; and the males have a very large territory that can be 620 square kilometres (240 square miles) or more in area.

Bibliography:
Wolverine, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/wolverine/

Wolverine, 2015, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/mammals/wolverine/

Wolverine, 2015, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolverine

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Meet another cute animal, the pika!

• Pikas are mammals of small size, that originate from North America, Asia and eastern areas of Europe, and inhabit mostly mountainous regions where the temperatures are cooler.
• ‘Pikas’ are also known as ‘whistling hares’ and ‘picas’, although the latter term is used to refer to a number of other species of animals.
• Pikas are a family that have the scientific name Ochotonidae, of which there is one genus, Ochotona, and the family is from the order Lagomorpha, the order to which rabbits and hares belong.
• The length of pikas range from 15 to 23 centimetres (5.9 to 9.1 inches) and they typically range from 75 to 350 grams (2.6 to 12.3 ounces) in weight.
• The diet of pikas consists of vegetation including grass, shrubs, bushes, leaves, seeds, berries and moss.

A Pika
Image courtesy of Glacier NPS/Flickr

• Pikas generally live by themselves in burrows or crevices found among rocks and soil, and they come out during the day, or dawn and dusk, to gather food.
• Pikas typically gather vegetation during warmer months and place it in a pile, known as a ‘haypile’, that they often store in their burrow, and they use the dried vegetation as food during the cooler months.
• A pika has a fur coat that is typically a combination of brown, tan, grey, white and black colours, and the mammal has no tail.
• A whistling sound can be made by pikas, used when entering a burrow and for communication purposes; and they are preyed on by weasels, dogs, eagles, and foxes.
• Female pikas give birth to one to five young, a maximum of twice a year, and they have an average lifespan of 3 to 6 years.

Bibliography:
Pika, 2013 A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/pika/

Pika, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pika

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