Ermine

White fur in the snow covered months and chocolate brown the rest of the year this weasel is trapped for its winter fur. What animals do I speak of? The Ermine.

The Ermine lives in the north temperate and frigid sectors of Europe, Asia and North America. In North America the Ermine lives in the northern areas reaching from coast to coast. Also, its habitat includes areas southward into the northern states of the USA.

Ermines prefer to live in areas along streams and creeks next to a woodland. Also, you will find the Ermine in marshes, shrubs, and open fields next to forests and edges of large shrubbery along a fence row. Animal lovers of the North also see the Ermine living mainly in the tundra that has vegetation next to rocky cover. Although the Ermine lives mainly on the ground, they do climb trees and water doesn't deter them as they are good swimmers.

The ermine builds its nest or lair in tree roots, hollow logs, large long holes in stone walls, and below ground abandoned rodent burrows. Their burrows also have side recesses they use for storing food and another as a latrine. They line their nests with dry vegetation, fur and feathers from prey.

As an adult, the length of the Ermine's body is seven to thirteen inches long. Males are generally twice as large as females. The length of the Ermine's tail is about two to four inches long. Similar in shape of a weasel the Ermine has a lengthy body, little legs and its neck supports a triangular shaped head. They have rounded ears and they show glistening ebony colored eyes, and whiskers.

In the snow covered months the Ermine's fur turns white and the tip of their tail is black. In the warm summertime, the back of the Ermine's fur is colored chestnut while the neck fur extending to the upper lip is ivory.

The male Ermine in late spring or early summer become amorous and begin looking for partners to mate with. The male Ermine, indiscriminate in sexual relations, has more than one mate. He is a member of a very promiscuous species. Males reach breeding age during the second summer of their life. The female Ermine can mate at nine to ten weeks old and do not reach adult size until at least six weeks of age. The success of a good mating and the female becoming pregnant depends on a convenient and good food source.

After mating the females produce only one litter each year of four to nine young after a gestation period of 280 days. The young are born in April or May. The sex of the young animals at birth is uneven.

The new born Ermine are blind and helpless and the young Ermine have fine white hair at birth. At about three weeks old, noticeable dark hair of dense fur forms around their neck. About five weeks later at eight weeks of age the young can hunt with their mother.

In the wild the female Ermine may survive for two breeding seasons and the life span for the male Ermine in the wild is usually less.

The Ermine's flexible, nimble body allows it to move rapidly both on top of the ground and through underground burrows. Females seek their prey in tunnels more than males. They can also run smoothly across snow. This consummate hunter seeks it game while moving in a zigzag pattern, continually leaping from side to side with each jump up to two feet long.

While on the move the hunting Ermine will stop to investigate every hole and crevice. When they stop they will raise their head and stand on their hind feet and survey their surroundings. While hunting the Ermine may travel up to ten miles in one night. Once the Ermine sees or smells its next victim it will advance as near to its prey as possible. With unbelievable speed it grips the back of the victim's neck with sharp teeth and wraps its body and feet around the victim. According to the availability of food will determine the Ermine's population.

The male Ermine marks its territory with scent. Females prefer to stay in their birth area almost all their lives and only have contact with the male Ermine during the breeding season.

Ermines have a sharp sense of sight and smell that assists them in finding food. Ermine are a flesh eating animal that seek their prey mainly at night. They prefer targeting small, warm blooded animals like rabbits and smaller animals. When small animals for food are scarce the Ermine will eat birds, eggs, frogs, fish, and insects. In harsh weather they will survive entirely on small rodents and lemmings. Ermine hoard left over meals during poor hunting times.

The negative economic importance for humans is that some farmers claim that Ermine kill their poultry. The positive economic importance for humans is that man traps numerous Ermine each season. The white winter fur of the Ermine is used in trimming coats and making stoles.

There are 20 subspecies of Ermine recognized in North America, Greenland, Iceland in the Arctic regions and 16 other subspecies throughout the world.

Other Comments Potential enemies are usually larger carnivores including red fox, gray fox, martens, fishers, badgers, raptors, and occasionally domestic cats.

Many ermine die from a parasitic nematode (Skrjabingylus nasicola) that infects the nasal passage, distorting the sinuses. Eventually the skull becomes perforated causing pressure on the brain, resulting in death.