Identifying stoats, weasels and their relatives.

The weasel, stoat, pine martin, polecat, mink and otter are all members of the weasel family(mustelidae), and resemble each other in build, colouring  or behaviour. All are very active hunters with long, sinuous bodies and comparatively short legs. They often sit upright on their haunches to look round, and when moving fast they gradually bound along with the back arched. Males are usually upto fifty per cent bigger than females. Confusion is most likely between the squirrel-sized stoat, especially a young one, and the smaller weasel. It is possible to confuse the pine martin, polecat and mink(all three roughly cat size), and perhaps also a swimming mink and swimming otter- the otter is much larger but its size is not obvious in the water. But each has certain distinguishing characteristics, and usually can also be identified from its habitat, although the stoat and weasel are found in most types of the country. The mink and otter are likely to be seen in or near water, the polecat on farmland or lower hill slopes and the pine martin only in remote northern forests or moors in Scotland (although they are rumoured to be back in Wales). The pine martin, polecat and otter are mainly active at night, the stoat, weasel and mink can be seen during the day. Polecat identification can be confusing because of the existence of polecat- ferrets(descendants of feral ferrets), whose colouring can vary from pale to dark.

Habitats.

Part fourteen mammals of the mountain sides.

Britain`s mountains are not very high-only one, Ben Nevis is, above 4,000 ft (1,200m)- but they are bleak places for warm blooded creatures to live, especially in winter. For roughly every 500ft (150m) of height above sea level, it gets almost two degrees colder. Rain and mist as well as stronger winds also add to the chill. Trees rarely grow on high, windswept uplands, so there is little shelter. Consequently, few mammals live on the exposed high ground. Although they forage on the heights in summer, red deer and, to a lesser degree, mountain hares move to lower ground for the winter. Small mammals, such as field voles that live amid the upland grass, do not make long migrations. Although they lose a lot of body heat because they have a large surface area of skin in relation to their bulk, they can find shelter in burrows or among thickets of heather or bilberry. Despite the cold, small spiders and insects are surprisingly numerous amid upland vegetation, and provide food for pygmy shrews. Stoats thrive on field voles but will also take meadow pipits and other upland birds. Crows and foxes search the mountain- sides for carrion such as dead hares and sheep. Small herds of feral goats may be seen in a few mountainous areas. They vary widely in colour, ranging from white to piebald, skewbald, dark brown or black. Young goats are not likely to be seen before April. In their winter pelage, mountain hares look like snow against the dark heather. They show up only when they move. On upland slopes they take the place of rabbits and brown hares. Many upland areas now have commercial plantations of dense conifers(some wildlife trusts are now taking some of these out). They rob mountain hares of their living space, but may provide homes for pine martins. Red deer move down the valley during winter, returning in spring. Stoats have great camouflage in winter because of their winter pelage. It also helps to preserve body heat, because white fur radiates less than dark fur. Where there are meadow pipits there may also be pygmy shrews. Both feed on tiny insects among the stones and heather. Pygmy shrews remain well hidden but nay be heard squeaking.

Habitats

Part one the woodland floor at night.

Many kinds of mammals, large and small, make their homes in deciduous woodland. Not only do the trees and shrubs provide more shelter from winds, rain and the cold open country, but for mammals that can climb they give extra living and foraging space among their branches. Above all, the different kinds of trees,shrubs and flowers offer a wide assortment of food for the mammals and also a huge number of insects, which are in turn another source of food for the mammals.  A wood covering about half a square mile, can support more than five thousand mice and voles aswell as many shrews, moles, squirrels,  badger and deer. Predators such as tawny owls and weasels and stoats are attracted to these woodlands by the abudance of small mammals. The night flying tawny owl, espeically, depends for food on the mice and voles that forage on the woodland floor. In summer when the undergrowth is dense and small mammals are well hidden it will often hunt over open fields and hedgerows. But when the vegetation dies back again in late autumn and winter, woodland mammals are easier prey. The owl claims a woodland territory  ready for breeding in march. The size of their territory depends on the amount of mice and voles that are available to them. The tawny owl will sometimes eat worms if numbers ger really low. Wood mice feed on more open parts of the woodland floor than bank voles. Several mice will share a space, showing little aggression over nuts, fruits,seedlings and insects it offers, except during the breeding season when they will defend their territory. Woodmice, voles and squirrels will nibble on tops of fungi aswell, boletus is one of their favourites to share. The tawny owl will prey on all of the small mammals that occupy the woodland floor. Below the tawny owls roost you will find its regurgitated pellets, this is all of the indigestable material such as bones and fur. The hazel dormice only ventures out at night to forage mainly among the tree branches. They feed mainly on hazel nuts. They will eat lots of food in late autumn as they are getting ready for hibernation. Bank voles will forage amongst thick cover by day or night. The woodland floor will also be alive with slugs, millipedes,centipedes and woodlice foraging through all of the decaying leaf litter.

Things to look out for in December.

We are now moving towards the winter solstice at which all of nature will be re-born, the first signs of this will be appearing quite soon. Snow has taken up a lot of the headlines, Worcestershire has had quite a lot of snow over the last week. Field and bank voles will be punching up through the snow to make air holes. They will find plenty of shoots and grass under the snow.  They will spend long periods looking for their food. Stoats and weasels may be stumbled across while they are out hunting for wood mice or rabbits. Brown hare tracks may be seen as well as they move through the snow. Their will be two smaller fore prints followed by two larger hind prints. This pattern is caused by the hares as they run through the snow. As a hare is digging through the thick snow to find shoots of grass under it, it will be listening out with its large ears for anything that is approaching it. You will be able to get quite close to a brown hare before it bolts aware from the area that it has been digging. For the brown hare it is much a challenge to survive as well as eluding predators during any month especially the cold ones. Foxes start mating from December until February, the vixen will only be receptive for between two and three days. Because of this the dog fox will not leave the vixen. Foxes become vociferous as the breeding seasons approaches. The "wow-wowing" bark and the blood curdling scream, produced mainly by the vixen, are their way of getting to know who is in their neighbourhood. Their will be lots of redwings,fieldfares and blackbirds around the red berries of holly during this month as they all try to seek out food. Look out for mistletoe on old oak trees as you are walking in the countryside. Rooks and jackdaws will be busy in their rookery as they start to prepare their nests for the forthcoming breeding season. The noise that comes from their rookery is for me one of the most enjoyable noises in the countryside. Blackcaps may be seen coming into your garden during the long winter days to seek out food. My mum has a single blackcap male that will stay in her garden until almost spring and then come back next winter. Yellowhammers and corn buntings may be seen concentrated together looking for food in large flocks. Their bodies resemble larger sparrows, because of this the word bunting means plump or stocky. The yellowhamer is a canary lemon yellow colour, but during winter this is not quite as striking. The corn bunting is a larger bird than the yellowhammer but hasn`t got quite as striking colours, they are normally a light brown colour with a pale chest. Rough grassland and arable land are favoured sites for these birds. Blue tits,great tits and chaffinches may be seen in mixed flocks. Small tortoiseshell  and peacock butterflies have now found somewhere to hibernate. Queen wasps will also be looking for somewhere to hibernate. After mating in the summer they will look for old wood mice nests or our house for favourable sites. Centipedes and millipedes are still wriggling around in the depths of the soil in our gardens. Scarlet elf-cup fungus,dead man fingers and jews ear fungus are three fungus's to look our for while taking a stroll through one of our deciduous woodland during December.

Surface area to volume ratio.

Example:- A hedgehog to a woodmouse.

There is a greater surface area to the woodmouse for the volume it has got.So if it is in a cold place it will call down quicker than the hedgehog. The hedgehog has less of a surface area but a greater volume to the woodmouse. So it is easier to keep the  core of the hedgehog warmer. So smaller animals will suffer more quickly. When we get a lot of snow bank and field voles and woodmice will stay under the snow as its actually warmer than being above it, they breathe by punching through the snow making little air holes. Stoats and weasels will suffer because they have lots of surface area to a very small volume.

photo periodic pelage reaction

In the u.k there are four animals that turn white in winter,ptarmigan,mountain hare,stoat and the weasel. They do this to avoid predation from golden eagles in the cairngorms. Photo periodism- The eye records the local day lengths and this is the photo-periodism, they then communicate this information to the brain, which then relays it to their hormonal or the endocrym system. This then produce`s a compound called melatonin. This compound inhibits the production of pigments so when they moult the new feathers and fur come through white. The speed of change is not controlled by the day length but by the air temperature. They will go whiter quicker at higher altitudes. Because of genetic factors, Southern weasels and stoats couldn't`t go white anymore. There are microscopic sub structures of bubbles in the ptarmigans feathers to keep them warmer. Mountain hare`s coats are thicker in winter and when a stoat moults it goes whiter from the feet and belly first, This is because they are closer to the ground and it keeps the stoat warmer.The reverse happens in winter with the stoats nose going white first followed by the rest of its body down to its feet.

the mustelidae family

part two the stoat

The stoat is the second member of the weasel family .Stoats are slightly bigger than the weasel,They have a distinctive black tip on the end of their tail.Stoats develop embryos inside them, Depending on how much food there is available, They will reabsorb embryos to control the litter size which can be up to nine, They will do this to a point where they can provide for their young which are called kits. The more food there is available the more stoats there will be in the litter. Stoats feed mainly on mice and rabbits but will also eat insects and birds, And kill their prey by a single bite to the back of the neck.They will live in a den in a rock crevice or in a disused rabbit burrow but will also live on farmland and woodland.Their hunting ground can be up to fifty acres depending on the availability of food in their territory,Stoats will hunt by day or night.Stoats start to mate in early summer and right up to autumn, But the implantation of the embryo is delayed until the following march, The female gives birth in April or may.The female brings up the kits on her own and this is the only litter she will have during the year, The male will have nothing to do with the kits. Pairs of stoats may be seen together briefly in summer at breeding time, They both look a like but the male is about fifty per-cent bigger than the female,The male is about ten inches long with a three inch tail.They have reddish brown fur on their back with white underparts, Both have a wavy line between flank and belly fur,Small eyes and ears and a long slender body.Unlike weasels stoats live in Ireland but are slightly darker then our native stoats.The kits will first come above ground after about five weeks and maybe seen hunting and playing together, but their mother will move them from the nest if there is a threat from a predator such as a fox or a bird of prey.The kits become independent after about ten weeks. In northern Scotland the stoat still turns white in winter but always keeps the black tail.I will be talking more about this in another post called photo periodic pelage reaction.......sounds like a right mouthful i know but all will be explained.