Mammal weasel family. Ermine is found in regions of the Northern Hemisphere - in the Arctic, sub-Arctic and temperate zones. The Russian ermine lives in the north of the European part and Siberia. The main habitat of weasel centered in forest-steppe, taiga and tundra regions of Russia. Total researchers account for twenty-six subspecies of stoat.
Ermine - Small pets. In animal long, elongated body with small paws. The animal high neck, head, shaped like a triangle, and small ears. The size of the body of the male is 17 - 38 cm, while the female is almost two times less. One third of the length of the tail body - about 6 - 12 cm. The weight of the animal from 70 to 260 grams.
Fur color varies throughout the year, allowing the animal to remain inconspicuous in winter color - pure white, summer - back brownish-red and yellowish-white belly. White winter color occurs in animals that live in areas where winter snow lasts for at least 40 days a year.
Places congestion caused by the presence of the animal food - a variety of small rodents. Usually ermine located in areas close to where there is water (rivers, streams, lakes). In thickets animal is rare, and preferring cutting edge. In the dense forests can be found in ermine priruchevyh spruce and alder. Upcoming territory weasel tries to avoid. He can stay close to human habitation (in the field, in the garden, the forest park).
4 photo ermine (photo Alex Shotov) + text
Ermine live mostly alone. Within its territory beast marks secret anal glands. Land area, which occupies one ermine can be from 10 to 20 hectares. Males typically take twice as much territory than females. Combined males and females only to mate. In the absence of sufficient food ermine leave their land, moving long distances.
Ermine mostly nocturnal, but sometimes it can be seen during the day. Stoat suits their nests in different places: in a haystack, in a pile of stones in the ruined buildings or logs, located near human habitation. During the flood ermine can stay in a hollow tree. Also, the animal takes burrows of rodents eaten them. Hides and skins of their victims (sometimes dry grass) female uses as litter. Himself ermine nor does. In winter, the animal has certain places of refuge. Ermine is hiding under the roots of trees, piles of rocks, under logs. The same place ermine rarely uses.
Ermine good swim and climb trees. It eats rodents: water voles, hamsters, chipmunks, lemmings. In smaller rodents ermine hunts, as because of its size can penetrate into their burrows. The predator feeds on birds and their eggs, less fish and shrews. With a lack of food eats amphibians, lizards and insects. Ermine hunts birds and animals, his superior size: grouse, grouse, ptarmigan, hares and rabbits. With enough food stocks ermine makes killing rodents more than he needed for sustenance. Attacking their prey, weasel bites through the occipital part of the skull. When hunting rodents, ermine uses olfactory organs; at catching insects - hearing, fish hunts using a well-developed vision.
Ermine - silent animal, but during arousal produces loud sounds like chirping, sometimes chirps, hisses and can bark. Ermine move quickly and rather clever. When hunting, it can cover distances up to 15 km in summer and winter 3km. On snow weasel jumping moves, the length of which is up to 50 cm. This animal bloodthirsty and courageously, can attack even human. In nature, red ermine threatened and gray foxes, martens, Ilka, sable, birds of prey. These small predators die from infection by parasitic nematodes.
Since mid-February to early July - in the males during sexual activity. Pregnant females proceed for 9 - 10 months. Thus, the younger generation born in April - May next year. The female is usually 4 - 9 pups, she brings no male. Newborns weighing 3 - 4 grams, and their length is 30 - 50 mm. At birth, the young do not see, they do not have teeth and developed auditory canal. Their body is covered with sparse white hair. In June - July, they begin to hunt on their own.
As early as 2 - 3 months become sexually mature females and males only a 11 - 14 months. In nature ermine has 1 - 2 years, in some cases, the animal reaches the age of seven. Number of ermine directly related to the number of rodents in the absence of the predator food fertility drops sharply.
The current strength of ermine declining due to hunting on his person, as a result of reducing the number of animals ermine eats, and reduce the places habitable rodent. At ermine valuable fur, so he became an object of hunting. Hunt ermine using small traps and loops. Firearms are hardly used, to avoid damaging the pelt.
On the territory of Russian ermine spread up to the islands of the Arctic Ocean. But the number of individuals in the South more than in the north. In Karelia the number of individuals equal to 0, 78 tracks per 10 km. In the southern areas the relative number above the animal - 0, 99, in the territory of the middle zone - 0, 73, in the northern areas - 0, 49 by 10 km.
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