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The stoat is similar to the least weasel in general proportions, manner of posture, and movement, though the tail is relatively longer, always exceeding a third of the body length, [clarification needed] [24] though it is shorter than that of the long-tailed weasel. The stoat has an elongated neck, the head being set exceptionally far in front ...
Richardson's stoat M. r. richardsonii. Bonaparte, 1838 Similar to M. r. cigognanii, but larger, with a dull chocolate brown summer coat [10] Newfoundland, Labrador and nearly all of Canada (save for the ranges of other American stoat subspecies) imperii (Barrett-Hamilton, 1904) microtis (J. A. Allen, 1903) mortigena (Bangs, 1913) Baffin Island ...
The American mink was formerly thought to be the only extant member of the genus Neovison following the extinction of the sea mink (N. macrodon), but recent studies, followed by taxonomic authorities, have reclassified it and the sea mink within the genus Neogale, which also contains a few New World weasel species. [3]
Skulls of a long-tailed weasel (top), a stoat (bottom left) and least weasel (bottom right), as illustrated in Merriam's Synopsis of the Weasels of North America. The long-tailed weasel is the product of a process begun 5–7 million years ago, when northern forests were replaced by open grassland, thus prompting an explosive evolution of small, burrowing rodents.
In Greek culture, a weasel near one's house is a sign of bad luck, even evil, "especially if there is in the household a girl about to be married", since the animal (based on its Greek etymology) was thought to be an unhappy bride who was transformed into a weasel [7] and consequently delights in destroying wedding dresses. [8]
Weasels are mammals belonging to the family Mustelidae and the genus Mustela, which includes stoats, least weasels, ferrets, and minks, among others. Different species of weasel have lived alongside humans on every continent except Antarctica and Australia, and have been assigned a wide range of folkloric and mythical meanings.
Mustelinae is a subfamily of family Mustelidae, including weasels, ferrets, and minks. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] It was formerly defined in a paraphyletic manner to also include wolverines , martens , and many other mustelids, to the exclusion of the otters ( Lutrinae ).
Mustelidae is a family of mammals in the order Carnivora, which includes weasels, badgers, otters, ferrets, martens, minks, and wolverines, and many other extant and extinct genera. A member of this family is called a mustelid; Mustelidae is the largest family in Carnivora, and its extant species are divided into eight subfamilies .