Walking along a trail, I heard a noise in the underbrush, so I decided to check it out. I ended up seeing my first wild weasel. The Least Weasel is the smallest living carnivore, growing to 10 inches.
It has a long, slender body, short legs and a broad, slightly flattened head. Weasels bound or lope with their back arched. They swim well and climb trees easily. Least Weasels specialize in taking small prey such as mice and voles. They do most of their hunting in tunnels made by these rodents.
In the Summer this mammal has a brown coat, but in areas where it snows the Least Weasel gets a white Winter coat. They are adaptable and do well in a wide variety of habitats, including open forests, farmlands, meadows and prairies.
It was an unexpected surprise to come across this very cool creature.