The Crossword Solver found answer to “Weasel family members”, 7 letters crossword clue. The Crossword Solver finds answers to American-style crosswords, British-style crosswords, general knowledge crosswords and cryptic crossword puzzles.
Answer : WEASEL
A weasel is any of various small carnivores with very elongated slender bodies. Most live in the Northern Hemisphere and belong to the genus Mustela, which in addition to weasels proper includes 17 species of ferrets and polecats as well as the mink and the ermine. Along with their tubelike bodies, weasels have small flattened heads, long flexible necks, and short limbs. The fur is short but dense, and the slim tail is pointed at the tip. Five toes on each foot end in sharp curved claws. The species can be differentiated by size, color, and relative length of the tail.
Weasels are usually brown with white or yellowish underparts. In winter the coats of weasels living in cold regions turn white. Their pelts, especially that of the stoat, are known as ermine in the fur trade. The kolinsky (kolinski), also called the Siberian weasel, is also much valued for its fur. The tail hairs are used to make artists’ paintbrushes.
Weasels are bold and aggressive predators. They generally hunt alone, feeding principally on mice, voles, rats, and rabbits, but they also take frogs, birds, and bird eggs. Because of their narrow bodies, weasels are able to pursue and capture rodents in their burrows and to chase them through holes and crevices, under dense herbage, up trees, or into water. Although proficient at catching mice, weasels are also notorious for raiding chicken coops. Because they cannot accumulate fat and thus must eat frequently, weasels often kill more prey than they can immediately consume and will store excess food for later use. This explains the carnage often seen after they discover captive domestic fowl.
The most-common and most widely distributed species are the stoat and the least weasel. The range of both extends into polar regions.
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