All About Stoats - Stoat Facts & Information

Stoats are found across Britain and Ireland, living in diverse habitats with sufficient cover and food. They are known for their orangey brown fur and black-tipped tail, though in colder climates, they turn white in winter.

What Do Stoats Look Like?

Stoats have a brown-orange body, with a creamy white throat and underside, they have a long black tail tip (Its tail exceeds a third of its body length!), and a long and low-slung body with short legs - this allows them to move swiftly and squeeze into underground burrows.

If you catc a fleeting glimpse, you'll see it moving with its distinctive bounding gait.

Seasonal Changes

In colder climes, Stoats undergo changes: they turn completely white in the winter, except for their distinctive black tipped tail. In snow covered landscapes, their winter coat (ermine phase) helps them blend in whilst hunting small rodents, whilst also avoiding predators. The white coat is also thicker and extra dense, helping to provide well needed warmth.

In warmer parts of the UK, some Stoats may remain brown, or turn partially white in winter. This is because the colour change can be triggered by shorter daylight hours as well as colder temperature.

Behaviour & Characteristics 

Moving in a series of quick, energetic leaps, Stoats move with a bounding gait. They are also excellent climbers, and they climb trees to hunt, or escape predators. When hunting, they will perform a hypnotic dance to confuse prey as well as many other confusing antics, this helps to confuse prey.

Stoats are a territorial mammal, with some having several dens withing their range. They prefer to live in open habitats, like sand dunes, grasslands and moorlands.

Stoats play a role in controlling rabbit populations, which in turn has an impact on the ecosystems. They are often mistaken for Weasels, but stoats are larger and have a black-tipped tail.

Are Stoats (mustela erminea) Dangerous?

No, Stoats are not dangerous to humans, but in the animal kingdom, they are efficient and fierce predators!

Generally, Stoats avoid interaction with humans, and tend to be shy and elusive. Unless cornered or handled, they don't attach humans.

Are Stoats Dangerous to Other Animals?

Stoats are highly skilled when it comes to hunting, and they can easily kill rabbits, rodents, birds, and sometimes animals larger than themselves.

Stoat Vs Weasel 

Stoats and Weasels are close relatives, but there are some distance differences between them in size, appearance, and behaviour.

Stoats are larger, with a Stoats body length being 17 - 32 cm with a long tail. Weasels are smaller with a body length of 16 - 27 cm and a shorter tail. Both of them have long, slender bodies, but Stoats tend to be bulkier.

On their tail, Stoats have a black tip, regardless of the season when they change colour. Weasels have a shorter tail, with no black tip. Weasels also remain brown all year round.

Both are great hunters, but stoats can take down larger prey, including adult rabbits, while weasels prefer smaller rodents.

Both species are found across the UK and Europe, but weasels have a wider range, including warmer regions where stoats are less common. To quickly tell them apart, look at the tail, if it has a black tipped tail it's a Stoat.

What Do Stoats Eat?

They are carnivorous predators, which means their diet mainly consists of small mammals and rodents. They will also hunt birds, insects and sometimes prey on animals larger than themselves.

A Stoats favourite animal to prey on is Rabbits, an adult Stoat can easily kill an adult Rabbit, despite being small. Rodents, such as Miles, Voles, Water Voles and Shrews are abundant in the UK and they are easy to catch!

Ground nesting birds, and their eggs, are at risk of being hunted by Stoats, especially when other food sources are scares!

When hunting, Stoats are fast and agile, using their bounding gait to chase down prey. They perform a rapid movement to confuse prey before they strike, using a precise bite to the neck to kill their prey.

Stoats often store extra food in their dens, especially in colder months when hunting is harder. They are known to kill more than they need and hide the remains for later consumption.

Stoat Habitat

In the UK, you'll find Stoats living in a number of habitats, as they are highly adaptable and can learn to thrive.

They prefer open countryside, woodlands with dense undergrowth for cover, farmlands (these are great hunting grounds for rodents and Rabbits. In parts of the Scottish Islands, they are found in sand dunes and coastal areas.

In Scotland, and the Channel Islands, Stoats are common, and they tend to exploit and harm the rabbit population.

Stoats do not dig their own burrows but take over abandoned rabbit warrens or rodent nests.

When Do Stoats Breed?

Between late summer and early autumn, Stoats begin to breed. Males will actively search for a mate, marking their territory with scent markings, and following female scent trails. The female Stoat is more selective about her mate, choosing the strongest and most dominant male in her area.

After mating occurs, the fertilised egg does not immediately implant in the female's uterus. This is called delayed implantation and ensures the kits are born in Spring where food sources are plentiful.

After the delayed implantation, the pregnancy lasts around 9–10 months, but the actual development of the embryo begins only in the winter months.

The litter consists of six to twelve kits, they are born in April or May, once the winter has ended. Females raise the young - kits are born blind and helpless, once six weeks has passed, they can hunt and forage on their own.

Stoats generally breed only one litter per year, although they can mate at any time during the breeding season if environmental conditions are favourable.

Predators & Threats

Stoats face various natural predators and threats in the wild. One of their main threats comes from birds of prey, such as Owls. These large birds can catch Stoats, especially when they are out in the open during daylight hours.

Stoats are also vulnerable to Foxes and larger carnivores, which may hunt them if they encounter them in their territory. These predators often pose a danger to Stoats, especially in areas where the terrain or shelter is less dense.

In some places, stoats are considered a threat to native species, like ground-nesting birds, which leads to trapping and removal by humans. This can further diminish Stoat populations in certain regions.

Five Fun Facts About Stoats

1. One of the easiest ways to spot a Stoat is by its distinctive black-tipped tail, which is unique to stoats and helps to differentiate them from weasels.

2. In the colder months, Stoats undergo a fascinating transformation - their fur turns completely white in winter (known as the "ermine" phase) to blend into snowy environments, except for their black-tipped tail.

3. Stoats are incredibly fast and agile, capable of performing a distinctive bounding gait, where they leap with their bodies stretched out. This helps them chase down prey like rabbits and small rodents.

4. Despite their small size, Stoats are fierce hunters and can take down prey much larger than themselves, including adult rabbits. They are known to kill more than they need, storing extra food in their dens for later.

5. Stoats are territorial and can cover large areas in search of food, often marking their territory with scent markings. Males typically have larger territories than females.