Weasel is an animal (photos of the animal are presented in this article) with a flexible, thin and elongated body. She has an elongated head, a long neck and rounded small ears. This is the smallest member of the marten family. The length of her body is not more than 25 cm, of which about 5 cm falls on the tail, and at its base there are glands that secrete an unpleasant odor liquid. In the summer, the weasel animal is dressed in brownish-brown fur with a white neck, abdomen and chest. In winter, she changes into a pure white outfit.
Mostly the weasel is nocturnal, but if she sees no danger for herself, she can hunt during the day. She perfectly runs, swims, jumps and climbs trees, but her main strength lies in the ability to climb through the narrowest holes and crevices. For example, she easily pursues mice in their own holes. This mammal also feeds on all kinds of birds, their eggs and chicks, as well as lizards, snails, various insects, frogs and fish. The weasel animal preys even on vipers, copperheads and snakes. And if her main diet isfor some reason shortened, then the weasel attacks animals larger than itself. These can be rats, hamsters, young hares and rabbits, ground squirrels, hazel grouses, partridges and black grouse.
The weasel animal lives under heaps of stones, in hollows of trees, in ruins. Sometimes she can settle in rat holes or under water-washed banks. In winter, it is attracted to warmer places: attics and sheds of rural buildings, and it can also come across on the outskirts of the city. From May to June, the female has from 5 to 7 cubs. This happens in a place hidden from prying eyes, which is necessarily covered with hay, leaves or straw. Mothers are very protective of their babies. She feeds them milk for a long time, and then brings them live mice for several more months. But if her children are disturbed, she will immediately move them to another place.
And now the grown cubs begin to leave the nest. Their mischievous and cheerful muzzles alternately appear from it and inspect the area. If everything is calm around, then the kids go out one by one, arranging games on the green grass. The weasel animal has many natural enemies - these are all predatory mammals that are larger than it, and birds of prey.
In the natural habitat, the weasel lives 8-10 years, but in captivity its life span does not exceed 6 years. Adult individuals are very difficult to endure the loss of freedom, so for taming you need to take a young animal that is still with its mother. In this case, weasel pretty fastgets used to his master and becomes the most gentle animal that lives up to its name. But for rural residents, it is almost the most fierce enemy, as it exterminates poultry and rabbits. In the old days, a goat was brought to the barnyard to see her out. For this, they chose the oldest. After 2-3 days, the little predator left its favorite place.
You can also get rid of an uninvited "tenant" with the help of windmills. The fact is that all underground animals react very sensitively to an earthquake, and the slightest vibrations transmitted through a pole into the ground force moles, rats, shrews and mice to leave their shelters. No exception and affection. The animal (how to catch it is of interest to many) can be caught with the help of such a device as a cherkan, and sparrows are used for bait. Although many gardeners, beekeepers and hunters catch this animal specially in the wild in order to launch it into their undergrounds, cellars or barns to exterminate mice and rats.
