Stoat (Latin – Mustela erminea) – small animal kunego typical appearance with a long body with short legs, a long neck and a triangular shaped head with small rounded ears. Male body length – 17-38 cm (about half females), tail length is – 6-12 cm; body weight – from 70 to 260 g Looks like a caress, but somewhat larger than its size.
Summer ermine bicolor. Winter ermine becomes partially or completely white in color, but the end of the tail is black. A characteristic feature of coloring ermine, to distinguish it from other small mustelids – black end of the tail.
Stoat polygamy, reproduces once a year. Sexual activity in males continues 4 months, from mid-February to early June. Pregnancy in females with a long latent stage (8-9 months) – embryos do not develop until March. All it takes 9-10 months, so that Young appear in April – May next year. Number of pups in litters ranging from 3 to 18, on average, 4-9. They engaged only female.
In areas where fishing is actively stoats, only a few of them live up to two years in captivity as stoats live 5-6 years.
