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Weasel

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Mammals

                  iWeasels
   Long-tailed Weasel
   Long-tailed Weasel
         Scientific classification

   Kingdom:   Animalia
   Phylum:    Chordata
   Class:     Mammalia
   Order:     Carnivora
   Family:    Mustelidae
   Subfamily: Mustelinae
   Genus:     Mustela
              Linnaeus, 1758

                                   Species

   Mustela africana
   Mustela altaica
   Mustela erminea
   Mustela eversmannii
   Mustela felipei
   Mustela frenata
   Mustela kathiah
   Mustela lutreola
   Mustela lutreolina
   Mustela nigripes
   Mustela nivalis
   Mustela nudipes
   Mustela putorius
   Mustela sibirica
   Mustela strigidorsa
   Mustela vison

   Weasels are mammals in the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family.
   Originally, the name "weasel" was applied to one species of the genus,
   the European form of the Least Weasel (Mustela nivalis). Early literary
   references to weasels, for example their common appearances in fables,
   refer to this species rather than to the genus as a whole.

   Weasels vary in length from 15 to 35 centimeters (6 to 14 inches), and
   usually have a light brown upper coat, white belly and black fur at the
   tip of the tail; in many species, populations living at high latitudes
   moult to a white coat with black fur at the tip of the tail in winter.
   They have long slender bodies, which enable them to follow their prey
   into burrows. Their tails are typically almost as long as the rest of
   their bodies. As is typical of small carnivores, weasels have a
   reputation for cleverness and guile.

   Most weasels feed on small mammals, and in former times were considered
   vermin since some species took poultry from farms, or rabbits from
   commercial warrens. Some species of weasel have been reported to
   perform a "hypnotic dance" in front of prey, which appears to mesmerize
   it. In folklore at least, this behaviour is particularly associated
   with the stoat.

   Of the 16 extant species currently classified in the genus Mustela,
   only 10 have "weasel" in their common name. Among those that do not are
   the stoat, the two species of mink, and the polecats or ferrets.

Species of weasel

     * Subgenus Grammogale
          + Tropical Weasel, Mustela africana
          + Colombian Weasel, Mustela felipei
     * Subgenus Lutreola
          + European Mink, Mustela lutreola
          + Indonesian Mountain Weasel, Mustela lutreolina
          + Malayan Weasel, Mustela nudipes
          + Siberian Weasel, Mustela sibirica
          + Black-striped Weasel, Mustela strigidorsa
     * Subgenus Mustela
          + Mountain Weasel, Mustela altaica
          + Stoat, Mustela erminea
          + Long-tailed Weasel, Mustela frenata
          + Yellow-bellied Weasel, Mustela kathiah
          + Least Weasel, Mustela nivalis
     * Subgenus Putorius
          + Steppe Polecat, Mustela eversmannii
          + Black-footed Ferret, Mustela nigripes
          + European Polecat, Mustela putorius (includes the domestic
            ferret)
     * Subgenus Vison
          + Sea Mink, Mustela macrodon ( extinct in 1894)
          + American Mink, Mustela vison

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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