The ermine is one of the most common representatives of the mustelidae family, whose habitat covers Eastern Siberia, the countries of Central Asia, as well as North America and the islands of New Zealand.
Despite its small size (the length of the animal is only 20-30 cm, weight - 150-250 g), the ermine is a skillful and dexterous predator, a real thunderstorm for many forest rodents and birds.
Ermine habits
The ermine is a solitary animal, like many predators, marking its territory with a secret secreted from the anal glands. Interestingly, the hunting grounds of this small, fearless predator can cover an area of 10 to 20 hectares.
The ermine male comes into contact with the female only at a certain time - during the mating season, while at other times of the year, representatives of different sexes prefer to keep their distance from each other. However, in a hungry year, a male ermine does not need to sacrifice his principles and start a journey in search of food in the territory belonging to the female.
The animal is especially active at night, although it often goes out to hunt or just wander around its territory during the day. Unlike most other representatives of mustelids (sable, marten, weasel), the ermine does not care about the convenience of its home and often settles in destroyed houses, tree hollows and burrows of rodents it has killed. In winter, the animal does not have a permanent home at all, preferring to travel a la a free robber.
In pursuit of prey, it costs nothing for an ermine to overcome 5-10 kilometers of thickets, swamps and windbreaks. In the cold winter, the animal is also in constant search of food and hunts very effectively, thanks to its agility and extreme endurance.
For most of its life, an ermine does not make a single sound, but if it is pissed off properly, a real stream of chirping, hissing and chirping begins.
Born hunter
The ermine is a nocturnal predator, so brave that sometimes animals and birds that are much larger than it can become its victims. So, in addition to traditional prey (vole, chipmunk, hamster, lemming), meat of hare, wood grouse, hazel grouse and black grouse can also appear in the diet of a predator.
Thanks to its tenacious and strong paws, the ermine can move at lightning speed along the branches of trees, however, for some unknown reason, it is mainly an animal on the ground that hunts. In winter, the ermine often walks under a layer of snow, looking for a lingering rodent.
The ermine is often found near human dwellings. In hungry years, this animal turns into a real villain, brazenly stealing food from people right from under the nose. It is curious that this representative of the weasel family is practically not afraid of a person and, being caught at the scene of a crime, may well attack.
