[ad_1]
weasels are the smallest carnivorous mammals in the world. They are often reviled for being sneaky critters that wreak havoc on domesticated ones chickens and other birds. Yet weasels occupy an important and necessary part of the food chain. We are going to look at what weasels eat and show how such small animals are such successful predators.
This topic is especially interesting when you consider that the smallest weasels can measure between 4 and 10 inches in length and weigh only a few ounces. Larger weasels grow up to 12 inches from nose to tail and weigh up to 12 ounces.
Although they resemble cuddly animals due to their small size, flat head and devious bodies, weasels are quite ferocious as predators foraging for food.
What foods do weasels eat?
Weasels are carnivores that eat different types of animals and are very successful hunters. Most species have a strict carnivorous diet that is quite adaptable to the area in which they live. Weasels live all over the world, including North America, Europe, and Asia. In each of their habitats they find suitable and somewhat similar prey.
Among the most common foods weasels eat are:
Thanks to their variable diet, weasels can easily find potential prey.
Interestingly, the same characteristics that make them such deadly hunters, their daily consumption of about a third of their own body weight every day.
Weasels are tall, slender animals with a lot of surface area. As a result, they lose a significant portion of body heat and replenish their energy reserves on a regular basis.
How do weasels hunt?
When you think of the best predators in the animal kingdom, you might think of lions and… tigers. However, leaving out Weasels from that conversation is a mistake. They are perfectly built to hunt and consume their prey.
With their long, slender bodies and flattened heads, weasels can get into tight spaces. So, weasels have often entered chicken coops to kill and eat chickens, and they are quite capable of getting into the nests and burrows of animals.
Their small size may not seem intimidating to some animals, but weasels have been known to attack, kill and consume animals several times their size. Weasels will also kill more animals than they need at the time; the rest of their prey will be stored in their burrows.
Weasels track their prey by smell and sight. When they find potential prey, weasels will pounce on them, biting at the base of their skulls. They use their front legs to grasp prey and their hind legs to inflict scratches and kicks.
The weasel’s tendency to eat any suitable and plentiful prey has made them useful to humans in some cases. Together with ermines, weasels have been introduced in countries around the world as a form of pest control.
Because they often eat rodents, birds and other vermin, weasels and stoats were taken to New Zealand, but their population did not thrive due to the relatively low number of prey available. This leaves small numbers of weasels to feast on the country’s vermin unaccustomed to such an effective carnivorous animal.
What do weasels eat in winter?
Weasels mainly inhabit northern areas around the world, which means they are subject to rather harsh winters. As we’ve already shown, weasels need quite a bit of energy to thrive, which means they have to hunt a lot.
During the winter, weasels need to be more alert and devoted to finding food. They often raid the dens of other animals, especially rodents, to secure a meal. Weasels will often move closer to human settlements that have attracted mice and other vermin, hunt them and return parts to their own burrows.
While many birds migrate for the season, weasels will attack those left with foraging animals.
What do baby weasels eat?
Baby weasels are called kittens and like many mammals start their lives drinking their mother’s milk. After a few weeks, the kittens will start feeding on meat brought to them by their mother.
The mother will hunt animals and bring them back to the den so that the weasels learn how to kill their prey. Eventually, the weasels are old and strong enough to learn to hunt, and they form hunting parties with their families to hunt for prey.
After their skills and instincts develop more, weasels venture out on their own to hunt for food and establish their own territories.
What animals eat weasels?
While weasels are certainly tough customers, they are ultimately small rodents. That means they have a fair number of predators that can hunt just as well as they do. Check out a list of the animals the mighty weasel should fear:
- eagles
- hawks
- owls
- snakes
- foxes
- cats
- dogs
birds tend to be the most effective predators against weasels as they can dive in and kill the weasel without much fighting. Also, animals such as cats and dogs that are insurmountable opponents can successfully kill weasels. Areas with high human populations attract weasels because they want to feed on pests or people’s
li
vestock.
However, that also puts weasels in contact with domestic dogs and cats, both of which are common predators of the weasel.
Weasels are the smallest carnivores and one of the most prolific hunters, feeding on mice, birds, chickens and a host of other animals. They are tough mammals that come in a small package, a great reminder that evolution can produce effective predators of any size.
Their desire to hunt and eat often, along with their vast abilities as hunters, makes weasels both a blessing and a curse for humans.
[ad_2]
Source link