• Question: whats the difference between a weasel and a stoat?

    Asked by tapeworm to Anil, Blanka, Cees, Emma, Mike on 25 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Emma Trantham

      Emma Trantham answered on 25 Jun 2012:

      Hmmmm actually this turns out to be quite a tricky question (so well done 🙂 )!

      In Britain when we call something a ‘weasel’ we are usually referring to one particular species in a group. What complicates things is that all of the other species in this group are in technical language and in the US *also* called weasels. And in this group of ‘weasel’ species is the species of animals that we call ‘stoats’. In fact the stoat is also known as the ‘short-tailed weasel’!

      So…
      what we call a ‘weasel’ is the species with the latin name Mustela nivalis
      what we call a ‘stoat’ is the species with the latin name Mustela erminea
      and *both* belong to the group, or genus, Mustela in which all species are technically weasels!

      Does this clear it up at all?!

    • Photo: Blanka Sengerova

      Blanka Sengerova answered on 26 Jun 2012:

      I didn’t even know there was a dispute about that sort of thing!

Comments