The stoat (Mustela erminea), also known as the Eurasian ermine or simply ermine, is a mustelid native to Eurasia and northern North America. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List due to its wide circumpolar distribution.
The stoat’s fur changes with the seasons. In winter, it boasts a dense, silky white coat with a black tail-tip, while in summer, the fur is rougher, shorter, and sandy-brown on the back and head with a white underbelly. This seasonal moult, which occurs twice a year, is influenced by the photoperiod. In spring, the moult begins at the forehead and progresses backward, while in autumn, it reverses direction. In southern regions, the winter coat tends to remain brown, although it is denser and sometimes paler than in summer.
The stoat’s tail, finer than that of a squirrel, is used in classic salmon and sea trout flies. Veniard supplies stoat tails, which are popular but rare and subject to availability. They are used in patterns like the Stoat’s Tail and Silver Stoat’s Tail. For those seeking an alternative, the Ermine Tail Sub serves as a suitable substitute.
Physically, the stoat has an elongated neck, with its head set far in front of its shoulders. Its trunk is nearly cylindrical and does not bulge at the abdomen, making the greatest circumference of its body slightly more than half its length. The skull, similar to that of the least weasel but longer and with a narrower braincase, has relatively weak but more developed projections and teeth. The stoat’s round, black eyes protrude slightly, and its whiskers are long and either brown or white. Its short, rounded ears lie almost flat against the skull, and its claws, which are large and non-retractable, are proportionate to its digits. Each foot has five toes. Notably, the male stoat has a curved baculum that increases in weight with age, and fat is deposited along the spine, kidneys, gut mesenteries, under the limbs, and around the shoulders. Females have four pairs of nipples, which are visible only in them.
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