| American ermine | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Near Beaverhill Lake, Alberta | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Mustelidae |
| Genus: | Mustela |
| Species: | M. richardsonii |
| Binomial name | |
| Mustela richardsonii Bonaparte, 1838 | |
| Subspecies | |
See text | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The American ermine or American stoat (Mustela richardsonii) is a species of mustelid native to most of North America.
It was long considered conspecific with the stoat (M. erminea), but a 2021 study found it to be a distinct species, forming distinct genetic clades from erminea. [2] [3] [4] The finding has been accepted by the American Society of Mammalogists. [5] The Haida ermine (M. haidarum) is thought to be a hybrid species originating from ancient hybridization between M. erminea and M. richardsonii. [2]
The specific epithet refers to Arctic explorer and naturalist John Richardson.
The species is found throughout most of North America aside from most of Alaska (although it is found on some islands in southeastern Alaska), eastern Yukon, most of Arctic Canada, and Greenland, where it is replaced by M. erminea . It reaches the northern extent of its range in Baffin Island and a portion of eastern mainland Nunavut and ranges from here to cover almost all of western North America south to northern New Mexico, and eastern North America south to northern Virginia. It is absent from most of the Southeastern United States and the Great Plains. [2]
In North America, where the ecological niche for rat- and rabbit-sized prey is taken by the larger long-tailed weasel (Neogale frenata), the American ermine preys on mice, voles, shrews, young cottontails, [6] chipmunks, deer mice, jumping mice, and house mice. Usually the ermine kills by biting at base of skull. Small birds, frogs, small fish, and earthworms are other types of prey for ermines. [7]
Ermines live and find cover from predators in hollow spaces from logs, burrows and man made structures. Ermines sometimes den within their prey's nest and use their skin and fur as a lining for their den. [7]
They breed in dense parts of the forest. The season for breeding is late springtime to the summer from July to August. The males mature in a year while the females only take three to four weeks to mature. The females carry a litter of four to seven babies for 255 days then gives birth. [1]
Some of the larger wild predators of ermines are minks, martens, fishers, bobcats, coyotes, and large owls and hawks. Occasionally a domesticated cat or dog may kill an ermine. Their small agile bodies help them evade these predators, while also allow them to compete with their predators for food in more barren months. [7]
About 13 subspecies are known:
| Subspecies | Trinomial authority | Description | Range | Synonyms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junean stoat M. r. alascensis. | Merriam, 1896 | Similar to M. r. richardsonii, but with a broader skull and more extensive white tips on the limbs [8] | Juneau, Alaska | |
| Vancouver Island stoat M. r. anguinae | Hall, 1932 | Vancouver Island | ||
| Western Great Lakes stoat M. r. bangsi | Hall, 1945 | The region west of the Great Lakes | cicognani (Mearns, 1891) pusillus (Aughey, 1880) | |
| Bonaparte's stoat M. r. cigognanii | Bonaparte, 1838 | A small subspecies with a dark brown summer coat; its skull is more lightly built than that of richardsonii. [9] | The region north and east of the Great Lakes | pusilla (DeKay, 1842) vulgaris (Griffith, 1827) |
| M. r. fallenda | Hall, 1945 | |||
| M. r. gulosa | Hall, 1945 | |||
| M. r. initis | Hall, 1945 | |||
| M. r. invicta | Hall, 1945 | |||
| Southwestern stoat M. r. muricus | Bangs, 1899 | The southwestern extremity of the species' American range (Nevada, Utah, Colorado and other states) | leptus (Merriam, 1903) | |
| Olympic stoat M. r. olympica | Hall, 1945 | The Olympic Peninsula, Washington | ||
| Richardson's stoat M. r. richardsonii | Bonaparte, 1838 | Similar to M. r. cigognanii, but larger, with a dull chocolate brown summer coat [9] | Newfoundland, Labrador and nearly all of Canada (save for the ranges of other American stoat subspecies) | imperii (Barrett-Hamilton, 1904) microtis (J. A. Allen, 1903) mortigena (Bangs, 1913) |
| Baffin Island stoat M. r. semplei | Sutton and Hamilton, 1932 | Baffin Island and the adjacent parts of the mainland | labiata (Degerbøl, 1935) | |
| M. r. stratori | Merriam, 1896 |
The fur of ermine was valued by the Tlingit and other indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. They could be attached to traditional regalia and cedar bark hats as status symbols or made into shirts. [10]
Weasels are mammals of the genus Mustela of the family Mustelidae. The genus Mustela includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets, and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender bodies and short legs. The family Mustelidae, or mustelids, is often referred to as the "weasel family". In the UK, the term "weasel" usually refers to the smallest species, the least weasel (M. nivalis), the smallest carnivoran species.
The stoat, also known as the Eurasian ermine, Beringian ermine and ermine, is a mustelid native to Eurasia and the northern regions of North America. Because of its wide circumpolar distribution, it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It was introduced into New Zealand in the late 19th century to control rabbits, but had a devastating effect on native bird populations and was nominated as one of the world's top 100 "worst invaders".
The black-footed ferret, also known as the American polecat or prairie dog hunter, is a species of mustelid native to central North America.
The long-tailed weasel, also known as the bridled weasel, masked ermine, or big stoat, is a species of mustelid distributed from southern Canada through much of the United States and Mexico, southward through all of Central America and into northern South America. It is distinct from the short-tailed weasel, also known as a "stoat", a close relation in the genus Mustela that originated in Eurasia and crossed into North America some half million years ago; the two species are visually similar, especially the black tail tip.
The least weasel, little weasel, common weasel, or simply weasel is the smallest member of the genus Mustela, family Mustelidae and order Carnivora. It is native to Eurasia, North America and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Malta, Crete, the Azores, and São Tomé. It is classified as least concern by the IUCN, due to its wide distribution and large population throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
The Siberian weasel or kolonok, is a medium-sized weasel native to Asia, where it is widely distributed and inhabits various forest habitats and open areas. It is therefore listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
The short-tailed weasel is the common name in North America for two species once considered a single species:
The Colombian weasel, also known as Don Felipe's weasel, is a very rare species of weasel only known with certainty from the departments of Huila and Cauca in Colombia and nearby northern Ecuador. Both its scientific and alternative common name honours the mammalogist Philip "Don Felipe" Hershkovitz.
The Japanese weasel is a carnivorous mammal belonging to the genus Mustela in the family Mustelidae. The most closely related Mustela species is the Siberian weasel. Its taxonomic species name, itatsi, is based on the Japanese word for weasel, itachi (イタチ). It is native to Japan where it occurs on the islands of Honshū, Kyūshū and Shikoku. It has been introduced to Hokkaidō and the Ryukyu Islands to control rodents and has also been introduced to Sakhalin Island in Russia.
Ermine may refer to three species of mustelid in the genus Mustela, or their fur:
The stoat was introduced into New Zealand to control introduced rabbits and hares, but is now a major threat to the native bird population. The natural range of the stoat is limited to parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Immediately before human settlement, New Zealand did not have any land-based mammals apart from bats, but Polynesian and European settlers introduced a wide variety of animals. Rarely, in Southland, the fur of stoats has been reported to turn white, being the fur known as ermine, which adorns royal robes.
Victoria Forest Park, is situated on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. At 2,069 square kilometres (799 sq mi) it is New Zealand's largest forest park. The park is administered by the Department of Conservation (DOC).
Carolyn Mary King is a New Zealand zoologist specialising in mammals, particularly small rodents and mustelids. She is currently a professor of biological sciences at the University of Waikato.
Weasels are mammals belonging to the family Mustelidae and the genus Mustela, which includes stoats, least weasels, ferrets, and minks, among others. Different species of weasel have lived alongside humans on every continent except Antarctica and Australia, and have been assigned a wide range of folkloric and mythical meanings.
The Haida ermine is a mustelid species endemic to a few islands off the Pacific Northwest of North America, namely Haida Gwaii in Canada and the southern Alexander Archipelago in the U.S. state of Alaska.
