| Long-tailed weasel | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Mustelidae |
| Genus: | Neogale |
| Species: | N. frenata
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| Binomial name | |
| Neogale frenata (Lichtenstein, 1831)
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| Long-tailed weasel range | |
| Synonyms | |
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Mustela frenata | |
The long-tailed weasel (Neogale frenata), also known as the bridled weasel, masked ermine, or big stoat, is a species of weasel found in North, Central, and South America. It is distinct from the short-tailed weasel (Mustela erminea), also known as a "stoat", a close relation in the genus Mustela that originated in Eurasia and crossed into North America some half million years ago; the two species are visually similar, especially the black tail tip.
Long-tailed weasels exhibit scale-dependent patterns of habitat selection, favoring forest patches, fencerows, and drainage ditches while avoiding agricultural fields, suggesting sensitivity to habitat fragmentation due to agricultural practices. [2]
- ^ Reid, F. & Helgen, K. (2016). "Mustela frenata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T41654A45213820. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41654A45213820.en. Retrieved 18 February 2022. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of least concern
- ^ Gehring, T. M., & Swihart, R. K. (2021). Habitat use by Long-tailed Weasels in a Fragmented Agricultural Landscape. The American Midland Naturalist, 186(1), 136–149.