Long-tailed weasel

Long-tailed weasel
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Genus: Neogale
Species:
N. frenata
Binomial name
Neogale frenata
(Lichtenstein, 1831)
Long-tailed weasel range
Synonyms

Mustela frenata

The long-tailed weasel (Neogale frenata), also known as the bridled weasel, masked ermine, or big stoat, is a species of weasel found in North, Central, and South America. It is distinct from the short-tailed weasel (Mustela erminea), also known as a "stoat", a close relation in the genus Mustela that originated in Eurasia and crossed into North America some half million years ago; the two species are visually similar, especially the black tail tip.

Long-tailed weasels exhibit scale-dependent patterns of habitat selection, favoring forest patches, fencerows, and drainage ditches while avoiding agricultural fields, suggesting sensitivity to habitat fragmentation due to agricultural practices. [2]

  1. ^ Reid, F. & Helgen, K. (2016). "Mustela frenata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T41654A45213820. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41654A45213820.en. Retrieved 18 February 2022. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern
  2. ^ Gehring, T. M., & Swihart, R. K. (2021). Habitat use by Long-tailed Weasels in a Fragmented Agricultural Landscape. The American Midland Naturalist, 186(1), 136–149.

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