THE STOAT Mustela erminea
Recognition:
Long slender body with short legs. Medium-short tail (length 95-140mm) always with a black tip. Fur reddish brown to ginger above, white to cream below. Some animals turn white or partially white in winter. Head/body length: Males 275-312 mm; females 242-292 mm. Weight: Males 200-445g; females 140-280g.
General Ecology:
The stoat occurs throughout Britain and Ireland, living in any habitat at any altitude with sufficient ground cover and food. The stoat's presence on offshore islands depends upon prey availability.
Stoats feed mainly on small mammals, especially rabbits and water voles where these are abundant. Small rodents are also taken, supplemented by birds, eggs, fruit and even earthworms when food is scarce. Stoats don't like to be out in the open and so tend to hunt along ditches, hedgerows and walls or through meadows and marshes. They search each likely area systematically, often running in a zig-zag pattern. All but the largest prey is killed by a single bite to the back of the neck.