Mustela frenata Lichtenstein; Long-tailed Weasel

Don Linzey & Christy Brecht
Wytheville Community College
Wytheville, Virginia 24382

Species Description

Phylogeny

Geographic distribution

Habitat

Natural History

Conservation Biology

Links to Other Sites

Acknowledgements

References

© Copyright Roger Barbour. All rights reserved.
Mustela frenata -- Long-tailed Weasel

Last updated: 26 November, 2005

Species Description

Adult total length: 13 - 17 in. (330 - 445 mm)
Tail: 4 - 6 in. (100 - 150 mm)
Hind foot: 1 1/4 - 2 in. (33 - 50 mm)
Weight: 3 - 10 lbs. (85 - 280 g)
Physical Characteristics: The fairly large long-tailed weasel has a long tail with a distinct black tip. During the summer, the long-tailed weasel is dark brown above and buff or yellowish-white below. During the winter, the dorsal pelage is buff-brown.


left lateral view of skull and mandible	dorsal view of skull	ventral view of skull

Index
Phylogeny

Taxonomic Category	Scientific Name	Common Name
Phylum	Chordata	Chordates
Class	Mammalia	Mammals
Order	Carnivora	Dogs, cats, bears, etc.
Family	Mustelidae	Otters, weasels, and mink

Index
Geographic distribution

The long-tailed weasel is found from southern Canada south through all of the United States, except the Sonoran Desert, and southward to northern Bolivia in South America.

Range Maps

North America Great Smokies
Great Smoky Mountains National Park: This species is a fairly common resident of the park and has been recorded at all elevations.
- Sevier Co.: Along Little River (1,400 feet); near park headquarters (1,500 feet); Sugarlands (1,600 feet); Lower Ramsay Branch; near head of Noisy Creek; Newfound Gap Road (2,900 feet; 4,000 feet); Greenbrier Cove (3,000 -3,500 feet); Greenbrier Pinnacle (4,500 feet); Mt. LeConte (6,300 feet; 6,593 feet).
- Haywood Co.: Cataloochee.
- Swain Co.: Clingmans Dome Road (5,600 feet).

Index
Habitat

The long-tailed weasel is found in a wide variety of habitats including farmland, woodlands, and swamps. Hedgerows and brushy fields often provide good habitat. Areas near water seem to be preferred.

Index
Natural History

Reproduction
Breeding usually occurs in July and August with the young being born in April. The long gestation is caused by delayed implantation of the embryos in the uterus. A fertilized egg starts its development as it travels down the oviduct. Reaching the uterus in the blastocyst stage, it then becomes inactive, the metabolic rate falls, and cell division ceases. The unimplanted blastocyst remains quiescent for a period of ten to eleven months before implantation and normal development resumes. Litters may consist of four to nine young. Newborn young have their eyes closed and have only a few long, white hairs, but postnatal development is rapid. By five weeks, the eyes and ears open, nursing ceases, and the pelage is nearing adult summer coloration. Females reach sexual maturity in 3 - 4 months; males at one year of age. A nest of this species was discovered in late April in a building near LeConte Lodge. The nest contained five or six young, each about 10 cm long and with their eyes not yet open (Stupka, 1961). The young are fully grown at 10 weeks. Both parents assist in bringing food to the young and caring for them.
Longevity
Wild individuals are known to have lived for three years.
Terrestrial Ecology
These solitary animals may be active at any hour during all seasons. They are intensely active and alert and possess well developed senses of hearing, sight, and smell. They are extremely quick in their movements, and they are tireless hunters.
These carnivorous animals feed primarily on mice, rats, shrews, and moles. Their diet may also occasionally include rabbits, squirrels, birds, snakes, lizards, insects, and earthworms. A long-tailed weasel was observed on Mt. LeConte carrying a deermouse (Peromyscus sp.) in its mouth in June 1944.
Predators and Defense
Snakes, hawks, owls, and foxes are the primary predators. A 40 cm weasel was discovered in July in the stomach of a large timber rattlesnake ( Crotalus horridus) taken near Caldwell Fork in the Cataloochee area (Stupka, 1953; Savage, 1967). Several weasels have been found dead along park roads.
Parasites
None recorded from the park.

Index
Conservation Biology

Special Protection Status
- Rangewide: None.
- In Park: All plants and animals are protected within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Collection requires a permit which is usually granted only for research or educational purposes.

Index
Links to Other Sites

University of Michigan, Museum of Zoology
eNature

Index
Acknowledgements

Text

Dr. Donald W. Linzey, Wytheville Community College - wclinzd@wcc.vccs.edu
Christy Brecht, Wytheville Community College - wcbrecc@wcc.vccs.edu
Photographs
- Roger Barbour
Map development
- Richard Schulz, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - richard_schulz@nps.gov
Web page design & coding
- Roger Barbour, University of Georgia, Athens
- John Pickering, University of Georgia, Athens

Index
References

Linzey, D. W. 1995a. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Blacksburg, Virginia: The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, Inc.
Linzey, D. W. 1995b. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park-1995 Update. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 111(1):1-81.
Linzey, D. W. 1998. The Mammals of Virginia. Blacksburg, Virginia: The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, Inc.
Savage, T. 1967. The diet of rattlesnakes and copperheads in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Copeia 1967 (1): 226-227.
Sheffield, S. R. and H. H. Thomas. 1997. Mustela frenata. Mammalian Species No. 570: 1-9. American Society of Mammalogists.
Stupka, A. 1935-63. Nature Journal, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 28 volumes (years) each with index. (Typewritten copy in files of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.)

Last modified: 8 May, 2002

North America	Great Smokies