looduskalender.ee

And in such a fur coat they roam around in mouse tunnels 

 

The photo was  taken on last Sunday morning, February 23rd; snow remnants still remain shadowed by the spruce hedge, and the zippy creature doesn’t bother to pose unduly much for the photographer who happened to come to the veranda  …

 

The smallest of the mustelids and the world’s smallest predator – this mammal lives everywhere where there are shelters and of course opportunity to hunt for small rodents; but obviously the menu is not limited to them. Its measures are very varying even in different scientificsources: but the head of our star of the day looks to be about 5 centimetres, body length a quarter of a metre and tail length nearly the same and weight around 150 grams. Adult males are a little bigger.

 

Weasels have a solitary way of life; the territory of females need not be larger than 10 hectares; that of males is larger – in the heat period partners must be searched for. They move in jumps and in case of a threat flight is momentary. Surroundings are scrutinised just as the photo shows, they climvb in trees and swim well.

 

It is rather bad taste to move around still in such a noticeable coat because there is no shortage of bigger and stronger creatures even in Vääna garden city where Tiit took the photo.