Stoat
Mustela erminea
Julius Simonelli · Womens Bay
Key facts in one look
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Status in Georgia
- Native, data scarce
- Size
- 17–32.5 cm body
- Habitat
- Forest, floodplain, mountain meadow
- Family
- Mustelidae
- Conservation
- DD / LC
The stoat (Mustela erminea) is a close relative of the least weasel, but larger, longer-tailed and with a black tail tip. In summer its back is brown and its belly white. In the north it turns completely white for winter, while southern forms stay brown. In Georgia most of its records come from Kazbegi and Mestia, both in the Greater Caucasus. It poses no danger to people, so if you see one in the mountains, simply watch it from a distance.
Identification
Stoat: how to identify it
A small, long-bodied, short-legged predator with a long neck and short ears. In summer it is brown above and white below. The most reliable mark is the black tail tip, which stays black in winter too. That tip and the longer tail tell it apart from the least weasel.
A male's body is 187–325 mm long, the tail 75–120 mm, and the average weight 258 g. A female measures 170–270 mm, with a 65–106 mm tail, and weighs under 180 g. Males are about 25% larger and 1.5–2 times heavier. These figures describe the species as a whole, not animals measured in Georgia.
The summer coat is sandy brown above and white or yellowish white below. In cold northern areas it turns completely white in winter. Southern forms stay brown in winter, only with denser fur. The tail tip is always black.
The least weasel is a smaller animal of the same genus and has similar colours. The stoat has a longer tail, always more than a third of its body length, and its tip is black. If you see a small brown-and-white predator with a long, black-tipped tail, it is a stoat.
Colour
Swatches are illustrative. Do not identify a species by colour alone.
Often confused with
The stoat lives in a wide range of places: forest, forest-steppe, river floodplains and waterside land. In the southern part of its range it lives in mountains and occurs from sea level up to 3,000 m. It avoids pine forests. In Georgia most of its observations come from Kazbegi, in Mtskheta-Mtianeti, and from Mestia, in Upper Svaneti. It was photographed at Kazbegi in May and September 2017, and on the northern slope of the Greater Caucasus in September 2013. There are single records from Racha and Kakheti as well. How widely it occurs in the country is still poorly known.
The stoat map combines public iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table, and the status column separates regions with enough records from regions with too few records. Record counts reflect observation effort rather than population density. One region has enough records: Mtskheta-Mtianeti.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Region with records
The stoat feeds mainly on mouse-like rodents, including animals larger than itself such as water voles and hamsters. It also eats birds and their eggs, fish, shrews, and sometimes amphibians and insects. It needs about 50 g of food a day, a quarter of its own weight. It searches burrows and crevices for prey and climbs trees to raid nests. It kills large prey with a bite to the back of the neck. It often stores surplus kills.
The stoat is active mainly at dusk and at night, though it sometimes hunts by day. It swims well and climbs trees easily. It breeds once a year. Mating takes place from April to July, but the embryo does not develop straight away: its development pauses for 9–10 months. So the young are born only in April–May of the following year. A litter has 3–18 young, 4–9 on average. Males mature at 10–11 months. In the wild it lives 1–2 years on average, 7 years at most.
Globally the stoat is not threatened (LC, 2016). In Georgia its status is unknown: the 2021 national assessment places it in the Data Deficient category (DD), meaning there is not enough information to assess it. The population trend is also unknown. Its distribution and numbers in the country still need study.
Related guides
Continue with related pages
Yes. Most observations come from the Greater Caucasus: Kazbegi and Mestia. There are single records from Racha and Kakheti as well. How widely it occurs is not yet well known.
The stoat is larger and has a longer tail, more than a third of its body length. The key mark is the black tail tip, which stays black in winter too. If the tip is black, you are looking at a stoat.
It depends on where it lives. In cold northern areas it turns completely white for winter, with only the tail tip staying black. Southern forms stay brown in winter, and only their fur gets denser.
A male's body is 187–325 mm long, the tail 75–120 mm, and the average weight 258 g. Females are smaller: 170–270 mm and under 180 g. Males are about 25% larger than females.
Mainly mouse-like rodents, including water voles and hamsters. It also eats birds, eggs, fish, shrews, and sometimes amphibians and insects. It needs about 50 g of food a day.
No. The stoat is not venomous and does not attack people. It is a wild animal, so do not try to catch it or touch it. Watch it from a distance.
Globally it is not threatened (LC, 2016). In Georgia the 2021 national assessment places it in the DD category, meaning there are not enough data to assess its status. The population trend is unknown.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
