6 NEBRASKAland • JUNE 2018
Least Weasel
Lindsay Rogers is an outdoor education specialist with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
By Lindsay Rogers
North America's smallest
carnivore, the least weasel is
less than one-third the size
of the American mink.
Their fur is brown to
pale tan in the summer,
but creamy white in winter.
Its tail is significantly shorter
than its cousin, the long-tailed
weasel, and lacks the long-tail's
characteristic black tip.
The least weasel is found in wetlands,
grasslands, and non-forested areas, but prefers
to live near water. They are found across Canada and northern United States; in Nebraska they are found
statewide.
Although small, least weasels are great predators and must eat their own body weight in food daily. To
accomplish this, they hunt both day and night. The feed mainly on rodents, but will also eat bird eggs,
amphibians, fish and invertebrates. Like most weasels, least weasels will go after prey larger than themselves. ■
A Mammal
Brief
