Least weasels vary in length from 173 to 217 mm (6+3⁄4 to8+1⁄2 in),[3] females being smaller than the males, and usually have red or brown upper coats and white bellies; some populations of some speciesmoult to a wholly white coat in winter. They have long, slender bodies, which enable them to follow their prey into burrows. Their tails may be from34 to 52 mm (1+1⁄4 to 2 in) long.[3]
Weasels feed on small mammals and have from time to time been consideredvermin because some species tookpoultry from farms orrabbits from commercial warrens. They do, on the other hand, eat large numbers ofrodents. Their range spansEurope,North America, much ofAsia, and small areas inNorth Africa.
Terminology
The English word "weasel" was originally applied to onespecies of thegenus, the European form of theleast weasel (Mustela nivalis). This usage is retained inBritish English, where the name is also extended to cover several other small species of the genus. However, in technical discourse and in American usage, the term "weasel" can refer to any member of the genus, the genus as a whole, and even to members of the related genusNeogale. Of the 16 extant species currently classified in the genusMustela, 10 have "weasel" in their common names. Among those that do not are the three species of ermine,[* 1] thepolecats, theferret, and theEuropean mink.[4]: 12
TheAmerican mink and the extinctsea mink were commonly included in this genus asMustela vison andMustela macrodon, respectively, but in 1999 they were moved to the genusNeovison.[5] In 2021, bothNeovison species, along with thelong-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata),Amazon weasel (Mustela africana) andColombian weasel (Mustela felipei) were moved to the genusNeogale, as the clade containing these five species was found to be fully distinct fromMustela.[6]
Taxonomy
The genus nameMustela comes from the Latin word for weasel combining the wordsmus meaning "mouse" andtelum meaning "javelin" for its long body.[4]: 3
Weasels have been assigned a variety of cultural meanings.
InGreek 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] InMacedonia, however, weasels are generally seen as an omen of good fortune.[7][8]
Inearly-modernMecklenburg, Germany, amulets from weasels were deemed to have strong magic; the period between 15 August and 8 September was specifically designated for the killing of weasels.[9]: 255
According toDaniel Defoe also, meeting a weasel is a bad omen.[10] In English-speaking areas, weasel can be an insult, noun or verb, for someone regarded as sneaky, conniving or untrustworthy. Similarly, "weasel words" is a critical term for words or phrasing that are vague, misleading or equivocal.
In Japan, weasels (鼬、鼬鼠,itachi) were seen asyōkai (causing strange occurrences). According to the encyclopediaWakan Sansai Zue from theEdo period, a pack of weasels would cause conflagrations, and the cry of a weasel was considered a harbinger of misfortune. In theNiigata Prefecture, the sound of a pack of weasels making a rustle resembled six people hulling rice, so was called the "weasel's six-person mortar", and it was an omen for one's home to decline or flourish. It is said that when people chase after this sound, the sound stops.[11]
They are also said to shapeshift like the fox (kitsune) ortanuki, and thenyūdō-bōzu told about in legends in theTōhoku region and theChūbu region are considered weasels in disguise, and they are also said to shapeshift intoōnyūdō and little monks.[11]
In the collection of depictionsGazu Hyakki Yagyō bySekien Toriyama, they were depicted under the title 鼬, but they were read not as "itachi", but rather as "ten",[12] and "ten" were considered to be weasels that have reached one hundred years of age and became yōkai that possessed supernatural powers.[13] Another theory is that when weasels reach several hundred years of age, they becomemujina (Japanese badgers).[14]
In Japanese, weasels are callediizuna orizuna (飯綱) and in theTōhoku Region andShinshu, it was believed that there were families that were able to use a certain practice to freely usekudagitsune asiizuna-tsukai orkitsune-mochi. It is said thatMount Iizuna, from theNagano Prefecture, got its name due to how the gods gave people mastery of this technique from there.[15]
In theAinu language, ermines are calledupas-čironnup orsáčiri, but since least weasels are also calledsáčiri,Mashio Chiri surmised that the honorary titlepoy-sáčiri-kamuy (wherepoy means "small") refers to least weasels.[17]
Kamaitachi is a phenomenon wherein one who is idle is suddenly injured as if his or her skin were cut by a scythe. In the past, this was thought to be "the deed of an invisibleyōkai weasel". An alternate theory, asserts thatkamaitachi is derived fromkamae Tachi (構え太刀; "stance sword"), so were not originally related to weasels at all.[18]
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