Least Weasel - Sierra Club BC
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Least Weasel

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Least Weasel

Mustela nivalis 

Appearance

As the smallest carnivore in the world, it rarely grows longer than 20 centimetres. In the summer, it has brown fur and a white belly, and in the winter, it is all white. It has a short tail, short ears, and the bottoms of its feet are furry. 

Range & Habitat

It is found from western Alaska to the southern US and across parts of Canada. In B.C., populations are poorly known, but they are found in the northeast part of the province. Least weasels like to live in open grassy areas and on the edges of forests. 

reciprocal relationships

The least weasel eats primarily mice, voles, and insects, but some birds' eggs and frogs make up its diet. It is the smallest carnivore in North America and can eat its own weight in food every day! It hunts mostly at night and can find a hiding place almost anywhere—it can fit into a hole two and a half centimetres wide. They play a very important role in maintaining rodent populations and distributing nutrients from rodents to the surrounding tundra ecosystem. 

Females give birth any month of the year to one to ten pink hairless babies. They leave their mom after about seven weeks and live alone except for when they mate. Least weasels don’t have many threats, but they are sometimes trapped for their fur. 

status

COSEWIC: Not Reported 
CDC: Yellow 

more information

If you belong to a First Nation with a story or piece of information not represented here and you would like to share more about this species, please email us at education@sierraclub.bc.ca.   

photo credit

Canva

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