Editing Weasel (section)

{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Short description|Mammal of the mustelid family}}
{{about|the animal}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{automatic taxobox
 | image = Mustela nivalis -British Wildlife Centre-4.jpg
 | image_caption = [[Least weasel]] in England
| taxon = Mustela
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]
| type_species = ''[[Stoat|Mustela erminea]]''
| type_species_authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision = {{Plainlist|
* ''[[Missing-toothed pygmy weasel|Mustela aistoodonnivalis]]'' 
* ''[[Mountain weasel|Mustela altaica]]'' 
* ''[[Stoat|Mustela erminea]]''
* ''[[Steppe polecat|Mustela eversmannii]]''
* {{Extinct}}''[[Mustela fenata]]''
* ''[[Domestic ferret|Mustela furo]]''
* ''[[Haida ermine|Mustela haidarum]]''
* ''[[Japanese weasel|Mustela itatsi]]''
* {{Extinct}}''[[Mustela jacksoni]]''
* ''[[Yellow-bellied weasel|Mustela kathiah]]''
* ''[[European mink|Mustela lutreola]]''
* ''[[Indonesian mountain weasel|Mustela lutreolina]]''
* {{Extinct}}''[[Mustela meltoni]]''
* ''[[Black-footed ferret|Mustela nigripes]]''
* ''[[Least weasel|Mustela nivalis]]''
* ''[[Malayan weasel|Mustela nudipes]]''
* {{Extinct}}''[[Mustela ogygia]]''
* {{Extinct}}''[[Mustela pachygnatha]]''
* {{Extinct}}''[[Mustela palaeattica]]''
* {{Extinct}}''[[Mustela palermina]]''
* {{Extinct}}''[[Mustela plioerminea]]''
* {{Extinct}}''[[Mustela praenivalis]]''
* ''[[European polecat|Mustela putorius]]''
* {{Extinct}}''[[Mustela rexroadensis]]''
* ''[[American ermine|Mustela richardsonii]]''
* ''[[Siberian weasel|Mustela sibirica]]''
* {{Extinct}}''[[Mustela spelaea]]''
* ''[[Back-striped weasel|Mustela strigidorsa]]''
* ''[[Tonkin weasel|Mustela tonkinensis]]''
}}
| range_map = Mustela range.png
| range_map_caption = ''Mustela'' range
}}

'''Weasels''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|w|iː|z|əl|z}} are [[mammal]]s of the [[genus]] '''''Mustela''''' of the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Mustelidae]]. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the [[least weasel]]s, [[polecat]]s, [[stoat]]s, [[ferret]]s, and [[European mink]]. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender bodies and short legs. The family Mustelidae, or mustelids (which also includes [[badger]]s, [[otter]]s, and [[wolverine]]s), is often referred to as the "weasel family". In the UK, the term "weasel" usually refers to the smallest [[species]], the [[least weasel]] (''M.&nbsp;nivalis''),<ref name=SOED>{{cite book|title=Shorter Oxford English dictionary|year=2007|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=United Kingdom|isbn=978-0199206872|pages=3804}}</ref> the smallest [[carnivora]]n species.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Valkenburgh|first1=Blaire Van|last2=Wayne|first2=Robert K.|date=2010-11-09|title=Carnivores|journal=Current Biology|volume=20|issue=21|pages=R915–R919|doi=10.1016/j.cub.2010.09.013|pmid=21056828|s2cid=235312150|issn=0960-9822|doi-access=free|bibcode=2010CBio...20.R915V }}</ref>

Least weasels vary in length from {{convert|173|to|217|mm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}},<ref name="WeaselSize">{{cite web|url=http://www.mammal.org.uk/species-hub/full-species-hub/full-species-hub-list/species-weasel/|title=The Weasel|publisher=The Mammal Society| access-date=11 April 2017}}</ref> females being smaller than the males, and usually have red or brown upper coats and white bellies; some populations of some species [[moult]] to a wholly white coat in winter. They have long, slender bodies, which enable them to follow their prey into burrows. Their tails may be from {{convert|34|to|52|mm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}} long.<ref name="WeaselSize" />

Weasels feed on small mammals and have from time to time been considered [[vermin]] because some species took [[poultry]] from farms or [[rabbit]]s from commercial warrens. They do, on the other hand, eat large numbers of [[rodent]]s. Their range spans [[Europe]], [[North America]], much of [[Asia]] and [[South America]], and small areas in [[North Africa]].