The fact that weasels are actually found all around the world, including here in the Pacific Northwest, might be surprising to some. But these nocturnal animals are small, with the largest getting to be only a couple of feet long and weigh less than a pound, and their colorings allow them to blend into their environment! In the Pacific Northwest, there are two weasel species, the long and short-tailed, with the obvious difference being the length of their tail.
Despite their cute faces and small demeanor, weasels are rather violent, bloodthirsty animals. They will eat 40% of their body weight every day and even on a full belly, these animals will kill anything that looks like prey. Sometimes, they’ve been known to take down animals ten times their size! Like stoats, weasels have also been known to do a ‘weasel war dance’ when their prey is cornered but scientists aren’t completely sure why they do it.
The Long-Tailed Weasel
This species can be found from North to South America, stretching from southern Canada to Bolivia and Venezuela. Their habitats tend to be temperate and terrestrial ones, like crop fields, grasslands, and wooded areas. More often than not, these weasels are found in more open habitats than forested ones. Burrows and nests for the long-tailed weasel are often found in hollow logs, under barns, and in rock piles. On occasion, some long-tailed weasels will even take the burrow of their prey.
Long-tailed weasels will shed twice a year, once in the spring and again in the fall. The length of the day and night actually determines when these weasels shed! In southern populations, long-tailed weasels are a cinnamon brown color with a yellow-white underbelly all year round. Northern long-tailed weasels, on the other hand, are cinnamon brown with a white underbelly in the summer and all white in the winter.
The Olympic Short-Tailed Weasel
Found only on the Olympic Peninsula, the Olympic Short-Tailed Weasel is long and slender with short legs and short tails. Their coats are light brown with a yellowish underside. Despite their size, these weasels actually prey upon mammals bigger than themselves and will often feed on small rodents. Their slender bodies allow them to chase after rodents into their burrows. Frequently, they’ll kill more than they can eat and bury the rest to eat at a later time. Unlike other weasels, the Olympic Short-Tailed Weasel doesn’t turn white in the winter, as they stay brown all year round. They’re also great swimmers and found in open habitats near water.
Similar Animals
Weasels are a part of the Mustelidae family, which means they’re in the same family as otters, minks, marten, and fishers. As they are strong swimmers, minks are commonly found near bodies of water and can be found all over North America. They’re larger than weasels and their coats are usually a solid dark brown color. Occasionally, they might have a small pale spot on their chin and scattered white spots on their bellies. The undersides of weasels tend to be constantly lighter in color.
While they look similar to weasels, fishers are actually larger (similar to a large house cat) and have a distinctly long and bushy tail. In 2015, a handful of fishers were released in the Washington Cascades after they disappeared from the area in the early 20th century. Martens, on the other hand, are small and rarely weigh more than five pounds and they stay their dark brown color all year round. Unlike the weasel’s slender tail, a marten’s tail is bushy and almost black in color. Their populations have been okay in other areas of the US but in the coastal ranges of Oregon and Washington, it’s been difficult to spot them.
- U.S. denies full protection for Pacific fisher, relative of the weasel by Steve Gorman, Reuters
Predators
While weasels are fierce fighters, there are predators that eat them, including bobcats, coyotes, large owls, and even people. While the fur from various animals in the Mustelidae family has been used to make fur coats, it can take as many as 100 minks to create one. All of these animals should be avoided if possible and not just because their wild populations are dwindling. Like skunks, weasels and minks will emit an utterly pungent odor when provoked so be careful around them!
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It can be difficult for the average person to tell the difference between a weasel, fisher, mink, or marten. But their size, coloring, and tails are all different! Weasels are much smaller than the others mentioned. Have you seen a weasel before? Let me know in the comments!
I have seen mink out in the islands, on the shoreline of San Juan Island, when I was in a boat offshore. There was a mink that got into our boat (for my job on Lopez Island) and left a fish head for us (among other things!).
Oh gosh! That’s exciting. Well, the fish head is a bit gross.
We live in Port Angeles on the Olympic Penninsula. I just saw an Olympic short tailed weasel in my garden. It ran but then stood up and looked at me. Super cute but I’m told it’s death on chickens and i have young meat birds. How can i make it go away without killing it?
I’ve had a delightful morning once photographing a colony of weasels. It was a real hoot! And once, a mink. I’m still looking for the other critters you mentioned. Maybe some day!
That’s amazing! I still haven’t seen a weasel or anything similar but I hope someday soon!
It was quite a surprise. We had gone to photograph a prairie dog colony with lots of new babies. Then in a nearby brush pile, we saw a lot of movement – the weasel colony! I think I heard they were black-tail weasels, which might be different than the ones you featured, but they looked the same to me!
It’s hard to tell! I’ve gotten some comments from folks wondering what weasel like animal they saw and it can be difficult to figure out.
I just saw a weasel take down a young rabbit bigger than he was, this morning. It was incredible. I thought it was a chipmunk at first chasing the rabbit but when he caught him, the weasel just stared at me. After realizing I wasn’t a threat, he took his meal into the woods. Still not sure what kind of weasel. He was dark brown, almost auburn with an orange throat and chest.
Hello Monteo,
I have lived on the Kitsap Peninsula for 10 years in the same area, and never saw a weasel until this spring. One fitting your description was living under my house for a few weeks. I didn’t mind. Then I didn’t see it all summer. Surprise! Yesterday when I was driving home the same species of weasel darted across the road. Then today I heard a very strange vocalization, and low and behold, there was a weasel in the apple tree in from of my kitchen!! I didn’t know they climbed trees. LOL It scurried around for a bit than climbed down and run under some bushes. Chocolate brown on top, dark orange belly and chin, tiny like a chip monk. I would love to know which one it is. Tail almost as long as body
I just saw your reply. That is so cool! Sounds exactly like the one I saw. So fun to see them out. I haven’t seen one since that day. Have you seen anymore?
Just saw a weasel run in front of me while drinking coffee out on my deck on Guemes Island. Dark brown in color with a long tail. I had my first encounter with an otter 2 weeks ago in my back yard. What a great place to live!!
Just had a long tailed weasel run through the RV park we are staying at in Airway Heights Washington. It’s run through our site twice this morning. We think it’s purposely trying to make our dog freak out LOL!
We have a Long tail. Hangs out in our shed, skagit county.
We have a long tailed Weasel that recently moved in. We first noticed that the rats were gone from under our shed. Then weeks later our children spotted the weasel. I spotted it the very next day. Now our mole infestation has ceased. I love our new yard mate. We will continue to keep our distance, but the Weasley is by far more welcome than rats and moles.
We just saw what looks like a long tailed weasel on South Shore of Lake Chelan. It had a white belly and brown head and body. First time seeing this animal after living on Lake for 25 years.
Hi Kathy. I am in Wenatchee. It was a Stoat you saw. I have photographed 2 different Stoats in the Horan Natural Wetland at the north end of Wenatchee.
Hello,
I am not sure if this is significant or not, but I spotted a Stoat on my way to work in Vancouver Washington. It was running back and forth across a road between two fields. I had never seen anything like it in the wild before, so I looked it up and sure enough Stoat.
I saw what I believe was a Marten yesterday in orting while fishing. It was light in color, almost golden or orange tinted. I’m not sure what I saw but I do believe it was in the weasel family????
I was just out talking with a neighbor and spotted a long tail weasel running up and around the tires of a few parked cars. Was able to capture a picture of it. I used to have a lot of rabbits around the yards of my neighborhood but I guess this would explain why thy have vanished.
I live in Kitsap county between Silverdale and Seabeck on 10 acres. I have been here 20 years. I have lots of gray and Douglas squirrels and many different birds. I have several bird feeders in my courtyard. I just walked out and there was an animal trying to catch a mourning dove and then it went after one of my Douglas squirrels. I chased it off thinking it was a really aggressive new squirrel. When it came back out of hiding I realized it had a long body about 12 in long maybe? A white belly and light brown fur. I think it had a long tail but it moves so fast. I wasn’t able to get a picture so I started googling and I think it might be a weasel. I am stunned. I’ve never seen one here ever. Is it possible?
It is possible that you saw a weasel! It might have also been a stoat, which look similar to weasels but can be a bit longer.
Was sitting on the ground in front of my garage in Bellevue yesterday work on a starter motor and a small (6-8 inches) weasel ran around the corner of my garage carrying a large mouse (I think). It ran under my pickup about 6 feet away and stopped. Next a squirrel came around the corner and stopped (about 4 feet away) when it saw me but “glared” at the weasel. The weasel moved toward me (to about 2-3 feet) like for protection from the squirrel. I shooed both of them away. The squirrel came back a few seconds later and once again the weasel scooted back over to me. Had never seen a weasel before and didn’t want to be in the middle of a squirrel/weasel fight, so stood up and shooed them both away. Didn’t see either one afterward, but thought it was all very strange. Pretty sure the weasel was carrying a very large mouse, but hope it wasn’t a baby squirrel. It was dark grey and the squirrel was one of those smaller dark reddish-brown squirrels. Wish I had thought to pull out my cell phone and snap a couple of pictures.
Just saw a stoat (I think – short tail with dark tip) in my yard. It bolted across the street and under my neighbor’s porch before I could get a picture. Nose to tip-of-tail I’d say it was 12″-14″ long, varying shades of brown. I’ve lived in this house (in Redmond) for over 20 years and I’ve never seen one before!
Wow – what an amazing encounter!
We discovered one yesterday running around our yard with a big rat in its mouth. Saw it again today coming out of under our deck (which is where we think he is currently living) We live in Port Townsend, Washington
How exciting.
Just saw my first weasel here in Vancouver WA at the Lewisville park. He ran across the trail in front of us. He had a long tail.
Incredible! What an amazing experience.
We are on the eastern side of Washington in a rural area. Our two cats who love to hunt kill weasels a couple times a week. I wish they didn’t because the weasels also kill mice but there’s not much we can do about it.
Just saw a long tail weasel chasing a rabbit in our backyard! It was so curious popping in and out of the brush. We live in a neighborhood in Kelso Wa which has a thick Forest line running down the back.
We just caught a short tailed weasel on a glue trap in our utility room inside our house, I know mice have been getting in hence the glue traps, and our fat old cat doesn’t care anymore, we took him outside and released him, good to have them around because they like to catch mice.
Wow! Thanks for releasing the weasel. They can be annoying at times but hopefully it helps with the mice!
I just saw what I believe is a short tail weasel exploring the nooks and crannies of my rockery in Marysville. Unfortunately the photo I quickly grabbed is pretty blurry. There are power lines behind my house and I think a lot of mice live back there, which may be what it feeds on.
Wow! And yes, those mice may be a great food source for any weasel
I saw a weasel/stoat (not sure what it was) a couple of days ago here on our property near Arlington Wa. We have a lot of moles, rabbits and squirrels living in the open areas of the property. There has been a noticeable reduction in the rabbit and mole activity but not so much in the number of squirrels running around. The squirrels are having a field day on our walnut trees! 🙂
Hi Brad: I hope you get another chance to photograph it.
I have been photographing a Mink for the last 3 days at the Pybus Public Market cove at Wenatchee.
In addition to photographing a Mink at the Pybus Market Public Market cove in Wenatchee, I have photographed 2 different Stoats in the Horan Natural Wetland at the north end of Wenatchee this year. I wish there was a photo button to show them to you folks.
I live in Marysville Washington 98271. My dog was chasing what looked to be a long tailed weasel. Brown coat on top with creamy white underneath from neck to tail. I was amazed! I had no idea that they could be around here!
Hi Andrea, I have a cabin outside of Colville, WA and this past summer what I think was a weasel came walking down from my upstairs (it was night time and hard to see it)….I chased it for a bit and it jumped from the upstairs to the living area below (ouch)….I finally chased it out the back door. It had a short tail and was very dark in color. It must be getting in to the cabin somehow(?) b/c my nephew was doing some closing down in the cabin and he saw it inside (again). I am going to have to investigate how it is getting in…..I have an unbelievable mole problem in my lakeside yard and I am hoping the weasel might take care of that…..I also noticed some scat I did not recognize inside the cabin when I returned for the summer season (July/August). I am thinking it must be the weasel’s…..at first, I thought it might be someone’s pet ferret but it wasn’t “long” like a ferret. email me if you have any significant comments….
Hi Shelly!
To me, it sounds like that might be a weasel! Be careful to not get too close or try to catch it, as weasels often carry diseases. Unfortunately, I don’t know enough to really suggest any possible actions.
We live 3 miles outside Redmon in unincorporated King County. Each spring many litters of bunnies emerge from under our juniper bushes in the backyard. We’ve seen coyotes, bobcats, and Harrier hawks take bunnies from the backyard, but one day I was sitting indoors and saw a small weasel trot by right outside the window next to me with a small bunny – basically the same size as the weasel – in its jaws. The bunny was held by the back of the neck and was either dead or in shock. In my whole life (of 74 years) I’ve never seen a weasel in the wild. Pretty awesome.
Wow!
We live on Camano Island and have discovered a family of weasels living in my attic. Set up a camera and so far they are different sizes. I’m wondering if they are nesting, but how do I get rid of them humanely? Anybody know what to do. There is a strange smell coming from the hallway. Help! I can’t live with these cute critters. I have a 6 lb dog. Is she in trouble?
Oh no! Well, I’m thankful you’re considering humane solutions. My best recommendation would be to talk with Sarvey Wildlife Care Center in Arlington and Paws Wildlife Center in Lynnwood. They have trained wildlife rehabilitators on staff who might have better ideas or tips on how to keep you, your family, and the weasels safe. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife also has a North Puget Sound office in Mill Creek and you can call that office at 425-775-1311
Sarvey Wildlife – 360-435-4817
PAWS Wildlife – 425-412-4040
One possible solution might be to set up live humane traps, like the ones people use to trap feral cats. It would trap a weasel or two without hurting them and it would give you (or someone else) a chance to relocate them. You can often rent live traps from humane societies, a local department of fish and wildlife office, or animal control agencies. I also recommend getting really thick, long gloves if you do decide to do some hands-on cleaning or investigating where the weasels are. However, it’s really important that you talk with a trained wildlife rehabilitator or someone with more experience in this area.
To keep your dog safe, I recommend keeping any and all potential escapes from the attic into your house closed and keeping an eye on your dog during this time.
I really hope this helps!
First weasel ever! We have lived in this Kenmore house for 35 years. Saw a weasel for the first time today. Did not even know what it was, so Googled “Western Washington brown rodent with black on end of tail”. Bingo!
All these years, and finally spot one scurrying across the driveway! Wow!
Wow! That’s amazing! What an incredible sight it must have been.
I live in Vancouver, Washington, in the city limits. My daughter-in-law, who lives next door, just came in asking if we have foxes in our area. She explained that her dog had chased what looked like a fox into my yard, but that it then climbed the posts of my gazebo, jumped onto the roof of my house and ran across and disappeared. I know foxes don’t do that. It was about the size of a large cat, was reddish in color and had a long, fluffy tail. When I showed her pictures of weasels/martens/fishers, she excitedly said yes to the fisher picture.
We wouldn’t possible have those way down here in the city, could we? We do live with a very large wooded park to the south and a greenspace that goes the length of the city to my north. The thing that is throwing me is definitely reddish and the tail was very fluffy. Exciting regardless, and makes me want to reinforce my chicken run.
It’s not impossible but I can’t be 100% sure. The fisher reintroduction program is still fairly new in the state and the population is still small. So it’s possible that it was a fisher but it’s also possible that it was a marten or weasel, as all three can look very similar.
Regardless of what exactly the animal was (weasel vs marten vs fisher), that was still a cool experience and I hope your chickens are still okay! It can be so exciting to experience nature like that.
I had a short tail weasel living in my back yard in Redmond last summer just North of Bridle Trails. I saw signs of it: scat and holes near mole/vole tunnels but wasn’t exactly sure what was making its home back there. Then one day I was sitting on my back steps when this adorable, goofy cinnamon colored weasel came loping around the corner of my backyard gate. We both just looked at each other surprised and then as it turned to run away I said “hey there lil fellar”. And the sweetest thing happened, it turned around and came back to look at me as if to see if I had anything for it. When we both just looked at each other still very much surprised, it decided I wasn’t going to do anything for it and headed out. I just sat there thrilled with finally discovering what had been living in my backyard and seeing how wildlife lives within our suburbs.
That is amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Saw 3-4 small weasels near Golden Gardens beach this morning as I was leaving about 9:05am, Friday 6/16/2023. They were on the shoulder of the serpentine road up the hill, just past the RR overpass, standing up like meerkats. They dropped when my car approached. One ran across the road in front of me so I got a good view of its long neck and slender shape and the black tip on its tail but I did not observe white on any of them. The others ran into the shrubbery so the sighting was very brief, but an unexpected thrill.