Weasels
Weasels are the small cousin of stoats and ferrets, and they too were brought to NZ to control rabbits in the 1880s.
Pop goes the weasel
Weasels begin producing babies at a very, very young age. Males are known to mate with young weasels at 3-5 weeks of age, at a time when their eyes have yet to open!
Now they are found throughout the country, however they are less common than their cousins.
That’s because they get eaten by stoats, ferrets, cats and harriers. Plus their favourite food – voles - is not found in New Zealand.
Instead, weasels snack on our invertebrates (animals without a backbone), like our weta. They also like to munch on our native lizards, such as our threatened Whittaker’s skink.
One way we can get rid of weasels is by trapping them. If you don’t know the difference between a weasel, ferret, and a stoat have a look at the chart below.
| Stoats | Weasels | Ferret |
|---|---|---|
| Larger tail | Shorter tail | Larger tail |
| Pale belly - with a distinctive line between the white and brown | No distinctive colour on the belly | Dark-coloured stomach |
| Black tip on its tail | Short tail with no black tip | Black tip on its tail |
| No black face mask | No black face mask | Black face mask |
| 30-40 cm long | 20 – 25 cm long | 48 – 56 cm |
Facts, facts, facts
- You call a group of weasels a boogle, gang, pack, or a confusion.
- Weasels have the ability to hunt under the ground or beneath deep snow.
- Weasels live for 1 - 2 years in the wild, and up to 10 years in captivity.
