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Weasel's ermines & stoats how do they do it? (1 Viewer)

S

scuba0095

Well-known member
Hello

I just had a question how are these TINY animals able to attack and kill such larger prey? (rabbits for example) I mean you would think a rabbit could just run at top speed or try and bat the stoat off with his claws to escape? iD love to see how it is done. I am living in canada and im not sure what we have here stoat or weasel but it was one of them for sure. Brown VEry thinn long very small and skinny. Well behind my house we get the odd one, once in a blue moon. We have an older outdoor cat here and i saw soemthing really strange one day. The weasel actually tried to attack our cat! but the thing is it was not very successful at all in its attempt as the cat just counter attacked and went after the weasel. Anyone else have similiar experiences?
 
Generally they attack rabbits in their burrows, they can often run faster than rabbits underground and they try to corner a rabbit down a dead end or stoop. They then hop onto the rabbits back, and bite the neck to kill the rabbit.

They also kill birds and rats etc.
 
scuba0095 said:
Hello

I just had a question how are these TINY animals able to attack and kill such larger prey? (rabbits for example) I mean you would think a rabbit could just run at top speed or try and bat the stoat off with his claws to escape? iD love to see how it is done. I am living in canada and im not sure what we have here stoat or weasel but it was one of them for sure. Brown VEry thinn long very small and skinny. Well behind my house we get the odd one, once in a blue moon. We have an older outdoor cat here and i saw soemthing really strange one day. The weasel actually tried to attack our cat! but the thing is it was not very successful at all in its attempt as the cat just counter attacked and went after the weasel. Anyone else have similiar experiences?
Click to expand...

Rabbits find it virtually impossible to escape from Stoats as they can follow them wherever they go. Stoats become very single-minded when hunting Rabbits and will continue to hunt the same animal, regardless of seemingly easier targets. A Rabbit can outrun a Stoat above ground, but the Stoat will simply put it's nose down and follow the Rabbit by scent. Eventually the Rabbit simply gives up and will often start to scream, sometimes their back legs seem to become paralysed and they try to scramble away using just their front legs. I've picked rabbits up when in this state, they simply seem to be in shock.

Weasles can have a similar effect but generally hunt young Rabbits and smaller mammals.

Interestingly, Rabbits don't react in the same way to domestic ferrets and will readily attempt to escape or even kick out at the ferret with their powerful back legs. Also, Stoats will always, always bolt from a warren if faced with a ferret, yet a dog Stoat is a similar size to a small jill ferret and far, far more lithe and agile, but I've never heard of one yet that would fight a ferret (unlike Brown Rats for instance).

saluki
 
I think they would only fight a ferret when if the ferret caught one. Domestic/feral cats seem to have a strange "hate" towards stoats and weasels and often attack them.
 
Scuba 0095, from your description, I think you have a weasel. they are about 7" long, stoats look similar but are about twice that size. I have known cats to kill weasels so don't think that is too unusual. Our female cat cornered a weasel once against the house and it really screamed. I didn't know they could make so much noise. Later that day I found it dead so the cat won but she didn't eat it
 
Interesting topic,
I heard somewhere that either weasels or stoats or even both approach a rabbit and do a kind of hypnotic dance on their hind legs. Bear with me on this one. The rabbit becomes entranced, and this is ultimately what leads to its demise. I'm sure I have seen this on television. Feedback anyone?

dave
 
david plankton said:
Interesting topic,
I heard somewhere that either weasels or stoats or even both approach a rabbit and do a kind of hypnotic dance on their hind legs. Bear with me on this one. The rabbit becomes entranced, and this is ultimately what leads to its demise. I'm sure I have seen this on television. Feedback anyone?

dave
Click to expand...

Hi Dave,

Yes, I've certainly heard of this and somewhere in the recesses of my brain I think I may have seen it on television as well. The stoat behaves in a totally unnatural way as you suggest, which literally seems to mesmerize the rabbit long enough for it to be grabbed.
 
Weasel

The only rabbit I've seen being chased by a weasel wasn't hanging about to watch it do a 'dance'. It was going hell for leather down a track in Wayland Woods and wasn't stopping for owt!

Sandra
:hi:
 
david plankton said:
Interesting topic,
I heard somewhere that either weasels or stoats or even both approach a rabbit and do a kind of hypnotic dance on their hind legs. Bear with me on this one. The rabbit becomes entranced, and this is ultimately what leads to its demise. I'm sure I have seen this on television. Feedback anyone?

dave
Click to expand...

the hypnotic dance (if not a myth) probably has a role other than hypnosys.
 
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joannechattaway said:
Scuba 0095, from your description, I think you have a weasel. they are about 7" long, stoats look similar but are about twice that size. I have known cats to kill weasels so don't think that is too unusual. Our female cat cornered a weasel once against the house and it really screamed. I didn't know they could make so much noise. Later that day I found it dead so the cat won but she didn't eat it
Click to expand...

that's why some people hang a small bell around a cat's neck, to warn mammals and birds.
 
The Dance Of Death involves them running round and round in tight circles, leaping about and generally behaving in a most peculiar way, and subtly moving closer to the prey....

It's not hypnotism as such, but it does distract the prey and focus its attention, keeping it in the same place and lulling it into a false sense of security until the opportunity arises for the stoat to attack.

There was an excellent film of the behaviour on (I think) a BBC "Wildlife on One" documentary about stoats living in the ruins of Mount Grace Priory in N Yorkshire.
 
Last edited:
Keith Reeder said:
The Dance Of Death involves them running round and round in tight circles, leaping about and generally behaving in a most peculiar way, and subtly moving closer to the prey....

It's not hypnotism as such, but it does distract the prey and focus its attention, keeping it in the same place and lulling it into a false sense of security until the opportunity arises for the stoat to attack.

There was an excellent film of the behaviour on (I think) a BBC "Wildlife on One" documentary about stoats living in the ruins of Mount Grace Priory in N Yorkshire.
Click to expand...

Hi Keith,

Perhaps there's a more sinister reason why stoats dance (from Mammal Society website):

'Weasels acting strangely in this way are said to be "dancing", either in play or as a clever trick to catch prey. This behaviour could be a response to extreme discomfort caused by a large parasitic worm commonly found in the nasal sinuses of stoats and weasels. The presence of these worms causes distortion of the skull bones and consequent pressure on the brain. This, along with the wriggling of the worms must result in extreme irritation, and may affect the weasel's behaviour'.

and

'Ermines are suspectible to a parasitic nematode, known as Skjabingylus nasicola, that infects their nasal passage, distorting the sinuses. Eventually, the skull is perforated and pressure is exerted on the brain, causing death. Shrews are thought to be a carrier host of the parasite'.

The unusual movement, whether deliberate or not, would attract the attention of birds and other creatures.

When I used to do a lot of rabbit control I saw stoats and weasels on an almost daily basis but I've never seen one 'dance', so I can't speak from practical experience.

saluki
 
Hi Saluki,

interesting stuff.

I guess the question I have to ask is that, if the mustelid was reacting to a disgusting nematode infection, why would (or how could) it break off from these (involuntary?) gyrations to kill and eat a rabbit?

Certainly, that's what happened on the documentary I saw.

Like you though, I've never seen in in the wild myself - maybe there are two triggers for the behaviour.
 
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