From: badwilson@home.com (badwilson)
Newsgroups: alt.binaries.pictures.animals,alt.binaries.pictures.artpics
Subject: Animals of the Canadian Arctic - BW_JimBrandenburg-Ermine.jpg
Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2000 04:56:04 GMT

Stoat/Ermine/Short-tailed Weasel (Mustela erminea)
Stoats are elusive predators, with long, slender bodies and short legs. The pelage is reddish to ginger in colour with white or cream underparts. Some individuals turn either partially or fully white in winter. The tail has a black tip, a feature that allows stoats to be distinguished from weasels. The head, which is supported by a fairly long neck, is triangular in shape, and features bright black eyes, long whiskers and round ears. Male stoats are much larger than females. At birth the kits are covered with fine white hair, and a dark 'mane' of fur forms around the neck after the third week.