: the common ermine (Mustela erminea) chiefly of northern Eurasia and North America that is brown above and white below in summer and in its northern range all white in winter and that ranges from 9 to 15 inches (23 to 38 centimeters) in length including a black-tipped tail that is usually 1 ½ to 3 ½ inches (3.8 to 9 centimeters) long : erminesense 1a, short-tailed weasel
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebIn the predawn hours of a cold winter morning in the French Alps, the photographer Jose Grandío lay still in the snow, waiting for a stoat (Mustela erminea) to emerge from its burrow. Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 13 June 2022 The stoat leaped and danced for about half an hour before returning to his den for the rest of the day. Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 13 June 2022 Alpine areas that previously were just beyond a stoat’s range may be warming up enough through climate change to allow the mammals to survive. Naomi Arnold, Washington Post, 31 Dec. 2020 Most Wanted—every last rat, weasel, ferret, possum, and stoat that has invaded the city. Mara Johnson-groh, Popular Science, 26 May 2020 By 1880, rabbits were already recognized as an ecological plague, and mustelids—a family of carnivorous mammals encompassing weasels, stoats, and ferrets, among others—were introduced to control their population. Mara Johnson-groh, Wired, 30 May 2020 By 1880, rabbits were already recognized as an ecological plague and mustelids—a family of carnivorous mammals encompassing weasels, stoats, and ferrets among others—were introduced to control their population. Mara Johnson-groh, Popular Science, 26 May 2020 Stoat – Related to weasels, polecats and ferrets, the stoat is a small but ferocious predator. Sarah Lazarus, CNN, 26 Dec. 2019 The increase in seeds also means more rats, stoats and feral cats -- all of which pose risks to the bird. Leah Asmelash And Brian Ries, CNN, 19 July 2019 See More