MEET SOME OF OUR PESTS: STOAT – Mustela ermina
Stoats and weasels are similar in colour and general appearance, but stoats are larger, have longer tails and a straight line where the brown fur on their backs meets the white belly fur.
From 350-400mm long from nose to tip of tail, the stoat is reddish-brown above, white to yellowish underneath, and has a long tail relative to that of a weasel, with a distinctive and obvious bushy black tip.
Males are generally considerably larger than females. Average weight of males is around 325grams, and females 205grams, though this may vary from region to region.
In very cold, snow-prone areas some stoats develop a pure white winter fur, though this is rare in New Zealand. Stoats have acute sight, hearing and smell, and may have some colour perception.
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