Noah Webster, in his Compendious Dictionary of the English Language (1806), defined weasel-he preferred the spelling weesel-as “a genus of quadrapeds with slender bodies.” Webster knew it also as an ermelin, “a small animal with delicate white fur.” En route home on 17 April 1806, near present The Dalles, Oregon, her husband Charbonneau bargained for a horse with “Hurmen, Elks Teeth, a belt and Some other articles of no great value.”] Poor Reputationįrom at least the beginnings of Indo-European languages, this creature has been called by a name variously spelled but sounding something like weasel. On 14 August 1805, during aid negotiations with the Lemhi Shoshone, Lewis promised Cameahwait that his people would soon be able to satisfy their needs from American traders “in exchange for the skins of the beaver Otter and Ermin so abundant in their country.” At Fort Clatsop on Christmas Day, 1805, Sacagawea gave Clark “2 Doz wesels tales,” though there is no hint of when, where or how she got them. 11” that they shipped back East the following April.
Its pelt may have been among those in “Package No.
The captains saw their first white weasel “(Taile excepted which was black at the end)” at Fort Mandan on 9 November 1804. Whitaker, Jr., ed., National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals, 2d ed. That’s when the weasel is known as an ermine. From December to February it is pure white except fora its usual black eyes and nose, and the black tip on its tail. In northern latitudes, from late April to early October, it is brown with white underparts and brownish feet. Its favorite fast food is a mouse or a vole, but on special occasions it will relish a rabbit, chipmunk, shrew, rat, snake, frog, bird, or even ordinary chicken. One of Nature’s little people, the weasel has a voice to match its size-a discreet little screech or squeal, a soft rippling trill, and even a wisp of a purr. Its privileged black-tipped tails once were traditional trimmings on the robes of kings. Its summer name is stoat in winter it’s an ermine.
Long tailed weasel plus#
In length this lithe little carnivore, weighing in at a mere 10 ounces at most, can be 22 inches in length, plus a three- to six-inch black-tipped tail, all carried close to the ground by legs only one or two inches long. The specific epithet frenata, which is Latin for bridle, refers to the facial feature in the dark summer phase that resembles a pair of reins. The genus name Mustela probably comes from the Latin word for mouse, with which its bearer shares only a few physical features. Its family tree includes the wolverine ( Gulo gulo), the skunk ( Mephitis mephitis), and the badger ( Taxidea taxus). When snow is on the ground, they often seek prey by burrowing beneath the snow.The genus Mustela is one of nine genera and 16 species belonging to the family Mustelidae that are found in North America north of Mexico. Weasels can swim and climb but they mostly hunt on the ground. Although they sometimes are considered to be nocturnal, they are often active during the daylight hours. Long-tailed weasels are active throughout the year. This species occurs throughout the state. In the Cascade Range and eastward through the remainder of the state, the winter pelage often is white although in parts of the region some individuals may remain brown in winter. The summer pelage is brown dorsally the venter is yellowish to orangish except for a white chin and sometimes one or more scattered brown spots. The head is flattened and somewhat triangular the body and neck are elongate and almost cylindrical the legs are short, and the tail is long. Males are considerably larger than females. The Long-tailed weasel is the larger of the two weasels in Oregon, but smaller than the other member of the genus, the mink.
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