Ermine - description, habitat, lifestyle

By ermine we mean a cute fluffy beast, something similar to affection. He is known to many from a great work of art, where a woman holds a semblance of a beast in her arms. They can be utterly aggressive or, conversely, cute. It all depends on the specific individual and her lifestyle. These animals are distinguished by their dexterity, they easily climb trees and run fast. They develop marshy, forested areas and lowlands, as well as nearby territories. The ermines belong to the marten family and have certain similarities with affection.

Description

1. Uninformed categories of people who do not have information about representatives of the marten family often cannot understand who is in front of their eyes. These animals are confused with affection. However, a detailed study will clearly distinguish the ermine. Weasels do not have an elongated tail, they are slightly smaller, with a different coat structure.
2. Ermines are flexible, sophisticated and elongated. They grow up to 30 cm, and about 10 cm are allocated to the tail. Despite their furry nature, these animals weigh little, only 0.2 kg. Females are slightly smaller than representatives of the male half. In summer, the fur is especially beautiful, consisting of several shades. The upper part of the body is pigmented with brown head, while the chest and abdomen are painted in a yellowish tone with a whitish tint.
3. In the winter season, stoats are painted differently. They become white, and the fur itself becomes silky. At the end of the tail there are black blotches that remain for the whole year. The connoisseurs of fur products highly appreciate the winter attire of these animals. It is fluffy and durable, when viewed from a material point of view.
4. Studying the distribution, it should be noted that the animals of the represented family live in almost all corners of the planet. Especially a lot of them in the vastness of our homeland, as well as nearby states. There are individuals in New Zealand, North America. In some countries, rabbit flocks are killed by ermines.
5. On the territory of our state there are more than nine species of animals. They prefer to live nearby with water sources, therefore they are found near rivers and seas. Housing construction is carried out near urban settlements or villages, not being afraid of being caught. These animals are curious. They lead an active life, mark and control territorial property, and live alone.
6. These animals are not attached to a particular place, and therefore can wander from one side to another. They are famous for their high intellectual abilities, they quickly get food and are ready to leave their houses if they end their food. A noteworthy characteristic is that minks do not dig, but borrow from captured rodents or settle in ruins.
7. Individuals of female gender are responsible for the improvement of the home. They collect the skins of dead animals and drag them into the house, after which they insulate them. Basic nutrition is also quite diverse. It includes lizards, birds and their offspring, chipmunks, as well as fish. Females hunt better than males.
8. The animals of the species under discussion have their own tactics. During the attack, they aim exclusively at the scruff of the neck, that is, they go down just below the head and grab onto the neck from above. The main enemy of the beast is human activity and the whim of people. Due to the catch for fur products, the population declined decently, so there was a need for protection and inclusion in the Red Book.

Habitat

1. Animals are distinguished by their briskness and curiosity. They invaded Eurasia, Asia, Japan, North America, part of Russia, America and Canada. They are found in Greenland. Artificial ermines were brought to New Zealand to help control rabbits. However, the animals did not have a sense of proportion, they ravaged bird's nests and killed offspring.
2. On the territory of the states of the former Soviet Union, these individuals are found in huge numbers. They do not affect only excessively hot regions. In the process of choosing an area for living, these animals are guided by the amount of food. They stop on reed beds, near lakes and rivers, in meadow areas.
3. Almost do not live in the middle of the forest. They also try to avoid open areas. Feel great in ravines, steppes and copses. They are not afraid to live close to people, therefore they can live peacefully in gardens, in fields and in parks.

Food

1. Immediately worth mentioning is that individuals of the species under discussion are classified as predatory. Therefore, they consume appropriate food. Typically, rodents are prey. We are talking about chipmunks, voles, as well as haylords, etc. Due to the special structure of the ermine housing, they fall into the prey minks and simply drive them out or catch them unawares. In the winter, they make their way under the snow.
2. But they can’t grab small rodents, because they will not crawl into their house. The basic menu also includes small birds and especially their offspring. They feed on fish, lizards. They can eat dredges or insects. Also used are rabbits with partridges and grouse. Consume human stocks.
3. An amazing fact is that the time of hunting rabbits, the predators in question perform a real dance of death. Near the victim, an ermine starts jumping and somersaults. Thus, the predator wriggles, imperceptibly approaching prey.
4. As soon as the distance is reduced to the optimal distance, the predator introduced rapidly bites into the rabbit's neck. In this case, the death of the victim in most cases occurs from fear or shock. The bottom line is that small ermine fangs do not do fatal harm to prey.

Breeding

1. The presented individuals do not belong to centenarians, and in the wild do not live even a couple of years. At home keeping the animal can live up to 7 years. Ermines reach puberty at about 1 year of age.
2. As for the females, they are ready for breeding almost from birth. Mature males can fertilize females that are barely 2 months old. As for the mating season and reproduction, this happens in animals once a year.
3. The mating season begins at the end of winter and lasts until mid-summer. At this time, males are most active. As for the young, the offspring appears only in the next year of spring. Animals are latent and can control the pregnancy process.
4. This stage can last up to 9 months. The female simply suppresses the development of embryos for a while. This is done to wait for more favorable conditions. On average, a female can bring up to 10 cubs at a time. At this time, young growth is completely helpless. They have no wool, teeth, they are blind.
5. While the kids are helpless, the female has been caring for them all this time. After only 1 month, they see clearly. Literally after the same time, it is already almost impossible to distinguish young from adult individuals. Unfortunately, it is the fur of the presented individuals that causes particular interest in humans.
6. The ermine fur acquires special beauty in the cold season, and therefore it is valued almost like gold. It is noteworthy that the finished ermine fur coat is simply magnificent. The color, texture and fluffiness of the fur of such an animal remains at its best.The fur is very pleasant to the touch, but, nevertheless, does not differ in high strength.
7. Wearing such a thing is extremely practical, so you need to try to avoid various friction and impact on the fur coat. In addition, when sewing things, an extremely thin lining is used, so in a fur coat you will not be able to warm up on frosty days. Despite such shortcomings, only wealthy people can afford such things.
8. Prices for ermine products can shock many. Therefore, very few people decide to buy an unusual and extremely expensive thing. Often, ermine fur is also used to decorate individual items of clothing. The price is also skyrocketing for such things.

Behavior

1. Represented individuals can be considered loners. Moreover, living in complete solitude, an ermine can occupy an area of ​​up to 20 hectares. In his area, he marks her with a special anal secret. Territories between females and males sometimes intersect, however, individuals are found exclusively during the mating season.
2. Interesting is the fact that animals lead a rather closed lifestyle. However, precisely because of this characteristic feature, the predator is very agile, decisive, strong and courageous. Even despite the small size. He is bloodthirsty and quite aggressive.
3. Such animals are excellent hunters, they run fast, swim well and climb trees. In addition, they can easily navigate under the rubble and in the snow. What he does not know how to do is just fly.
4. Represented predators prefer to lead a nocturnal lifestyle. In the afternoon, such animals try to relax. Ermines are not used to digging holes on their own, most often they occupy holes of rodents that they have already killed. As a result, they equip themselves with a home there.

Ermines during the hunger period are able to migrate over great distances. And in the summer during the hunt they overcome up to 15 km without problems per day. If an animal is scared, it can even attack a person.

Video: ermine (Mustela erminea)