Editing Long-tailed weasel (section)

==Identification==

===Tracks and scat===
The footprint of a long-tailed weasel is about 1 inch (25&nbsp;mm) long. Although they have five toes, only four of them can be seen in their tracks. The only exception to this is when walking in the snow or mud, all five of their toes are shown. Their footprints will also appear heavier if the weasel is carrying food. Another way to determine the presence of a weasel is by looking for wavy indents made by their tails in the snow.

The long-tailed weasel uses one spot to leave their feces. This spot is usually near where they burrow. They'll continuously use this spot for their droppings until it gets covered by environmental changes.<ref name="p35">{{Harvnb|Colby|1963|p=35}}</ref>

===Distinguishing features===
[[File:Long-tailed Weasel in Seattle, Washington, USA - 2 June 2021.jpg|thumb|right|Black-tipped tail, brown and yellowish fur, and long whiskers distinguish this Long-tailed weasel in [[Seattle]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]]]]

A black-tipped tail, yellowish-white belly fur, and brown fur on its back and sides are distinguishing for the long-tailed weasel. Additionally, the long-tailed weasel has long [[whiskers]], a long narrow body, short legs, and a long tail that is approximately half the length of the body and head of the weasel.<ref name="WANMP">[http://naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/facts/long-tailed_weasel_k6.html "Long-tailed Weasel Facts"]. ''Washington Nature Mapping Program''. Retrieved 3 June 2021.</ref><ref name="NHPBS">NatureWorks. [https://nhpbs.org/natureworks/longtailedweasel.htm#:~:text=The%20long%2Dtailed%20weasel%20has,turns%20white%20in%20the%20winter. "Long-tailed Weasel - Mustela frenata"]. ''[[NHPBS]]''. Retrieved 3 June 2021.</ref><ref name="MTFG">Montana Field Guide. [http://fieldguide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=AMAJF02030 "Long-tailed Weasel — Mustela frenata"]. ''Montana Natural Heritage Program and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks''. Retrieved 3 June 2021.</ref> The long-tailed weasel has a triangular-shaped head, which is accentuated by small, round ears towards the back of the head. Males can be up to double the weight of females due to the size of the skull. Female long-tailed weasels have narrower skulls, which allows for more efficient hunting within the burrows of their rodent prey'''.''' <ref name=":3" /> Compared to the short-tailed weasel the long-tailed weasel lacks a white line on the insides of its legs.<ref name="MTFG"/>