ermine

1. A weasel (Mustela erminea) of northern regions, having a black-tipped tail and dark brown fur that in winter changes to white.
2. The commercially valuable white fur of this animal.

[Middle English ermin, from Old French ermine, possibly of Germanic origin or from Medieval Latin (mūs) Armenius, Armenian (mouse).]

Mustela erminea

SUBFAMILY

Mustelinae

TAXONOMY

Mustela erminea Linnaeus, 1758, Europe and Asia.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

English: Stoat, short-tailed weasel; French: Belette à queue courte, hermine; German: Wiesel, Hermelin; Spanish: Armiño, mostela.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Body length 6–10 in (15–25 cm), tail 2–4 in (3–10 cm), weight 0.3–0.8 lb (125–350 g). Long, tubular-shaped body with short limbs. Pelage brown during summer, white during winter, always with a black-tipped tail.

DISTRIBUTION

The ermine has the greatest distribution of all weasels. It occurs across Europe, Ireland, parts of Asia, into Japan, northern India, Algeria, Mongolia, on Greenland, and across most of North America, and was introduced in New Zealand.

HABITAT

Inhabits farmland, forests, marshes, steppes, river valleys, even human settlements of North America and Europe.

BEHAVIOR

Specialist on mice, weasels often visit rodent burrows when hunting. Active throughout day and night, ermines are solitary and hunt and hide beneath roots, rock crevices, rodent burrows, wood piles, around old barns and buildings—anywhere small rodents may occur. Prey is detected by smell, hearing, or vision, and most are killed by a bite at the back of the neck. Ermines are good climbers and may use trees to rest, search for food, or escape predators.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Mostly rodents, especially mice, voles, and lemmings. On occasion, may kill ground squirrels, rabbits, birds and bird eggs, and insects. Surplus killing may occur, and ermines cache extra food for later use.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Promiscuous. Mating occurs in summer, and implantation is delayed nine to 10 months. Total gestation is 280 days, and litter size is typically four to eight.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not threatened.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

Harvested as a furbearer in Canada and United States. The winter coat of ermine has been used for centuries as an article of clothing. Royalty traditionally wore white ermine capes, with the black tail tips sewed on, during festive occasions.

Around 1885, the stoat or ermine was introduced into New Zealand (from England) to control the expanding rabbit population and the results were disastrous. Stoats depredate local birds and their eggs, and efforts to eradicate stoats require large sums of money.

(click to enlarge)
Ermine (Mustela erminea) (credit: Charlie Ott — The National Audubon Society Collection/Photo Researchers)

Species of the weasel family (Mustela erminea). Its white winter coat has historically adorned royal robes and is still used in the fur trade. Ermines are found in North America and northern Eurasia. They are most abundant in thickets, woodland, and semitimbered areas. In summer they are brown, with whitish throat, chest, and belly. Species are 5 – 12 in. (13 – 29 cm) long (excluding the 2 – 5-in., or 5 – 12-cm, tail) and weigh less than 11 oz (0.3 kg). Voracious carnivores, ermines feed on small mammals, birds, eggs, frogs, and, occasionally, invertebrates.

For more information on ermine, visit Britannica.com.

1. the European stoat, Mustela erminea.
2. the pelt of Mustela erminea.

• e. marks — small brown or black spots on a white section of coat surrounding one or more coronets; resembles ermine.

Dansk (Danish)
n. - hermelin, hermelinspels, hvid pels med sorte prikker

Nederlands (Dutch)
hermelijn, teken van eer en zuiverheid (dichterlijk), functie met officiële kleding met hermelijn afgezet, wit met zwarte vlekken

Français (French)
n. - hermine
adj. - hermine

Deutsch (German)
n. - Hermelin
adj. - Hermelin-

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ενδυμ.) (γουναρικό) ερμίνα, (ζωολ.) ερμελίνη, ικτίς του βορρά
adj. - από ερμίνα

Italiano (Italian)
ermellino

Português (Portuguese)
n. - arminho (m) (Zool.), pele (f) comercializável, magistratura (f) (fig.) (Jur.)

Русский (Russian)
горностай

Español (Spanish)
n. - armiño
adj. - armiño

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - domarvärdighet, hermelin
adj. - hermelin-

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
貂, 貂的白毛皮

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 貂, 貂的白毛皮

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 흰 담비, 흰 담비 모피

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - オコジョ, アーミンの毛皮

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) حيوان, القاقوم, القاقم (صفه) مكسو بفرو القاقم‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮חולד הרים, טורף קטן, פרווה לבנה, פרוות שופט‬

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