A Ermine Or Short Tailed Weasel Of The Northwoods

They range from Alaska, Canada, through most of the northern U.S. down the Rocky Mountains to California, northern Arizona, northern New Mexico, and east to Iowa, the Great Lakes region, Pennsylvania, and northern Virginia.

Ermines appear to maintain territories which have a wide range in size. Home ranges of from 8 to 500 acres.

There are numerous stories about ermines' very strong "mousing" abilities. Having one live in our wood last winter proved to me that this is very true. We had no trouble with mice getting into the house.

Ermines are most abundant in thickets, woodland, and semi-timbered areas.

They feed primarily on small mammals, but will also eat other small vertebrates and insects. They are good climbers so they can raid bird and squirrel nests.

Ermine are relatively pure carnivores and eat voles, shrews, deer mice, rabbits, rats, chipmunks and a small amount of beetles, grasshoppers, and frogs.

Their predatory skills are remarkable when you imagine that an ermine can kill a rabbit.
The ermine has a very high metabolic rate and a high need for large amounts of food. This is due to their long, slim body shape, which allows a higher than usual body heat loss.

Their daily activity in the winter it often hunting under the snow for a rodent by using their burrows.

This species has adapted to a variety of habitats from low-elevation marshes to alpine meadows, or any location where there is an abundance of prey (small rodents). But they prefer wooded areas with thick understory near watercourses.

When inactive, they occupy a den under logs, stumps, roots, brush piles, or rocks.

I have seen them around a country store in the past. The shrews and field mice must have been more plentiful around the buildings. I had one living in my backyard all winter long 2010-2011.

Breeding occurs in early to mid summer and development is rapid, the young are born 4 weeks later. Female produces 4-9 young, born mid-April t early May. Females reach sexual maturity in 3-4 mo; males are sexually mature in about 12 months. Young are very small at birth but development is very rapid. By the fifth week weaning is underway and the young are fed some meat. They continue to nurse for 7 to 12 weeks.

The ermine's being small in nature have many enemies to fear such as snowy owls, foxes, various hawks, eagles, coyotes, badgers, wolves, and hunters.

The hunters use the ermines for their fur.

This may be a very good reason for not seeing this animal frequently in the wild.