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Himalayan weasel or Siberian weasel Mustela sibirica Pallas, 1773

Distribution

The Himalayan or the Siberian weasel is distributed in the Himalayas from Kashmir eastward through Himachal Pradesh (Chamba), Uttar Pradesh (Garhwal), Sikkim (Pocock 1941), West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh (Corbet & Hill 1992, ZSI 1992, Choudhury 1997a,b, 1999) at 1525-4880 m altitude (Prater 1971). Outside India it occurs in Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Taiwan, China, Korea, Japan and as far as Siberia (Wozencraft 1993).

Description

The Siberian weasel is a large weasel as compared to other weasel species with its tail a little over half the length of the head and body. The winter coat is typically long and full, with the tail also long haired but tapering. The general colour varies from bright golden or foxy red to deep chocolate-brown and is uniform on the body and the limbs, the ventral surface being a little lighter than the dorsal surface. The tail has a dark contrasted tip in some forms. The throat may be wholly reddish, brown, or whitish. The muzzle almost always has at least the chin and the edge of the upper lip white. The soles of the feet, apart from the pads are thickly covered with hair in all the seasons. The head to body length varies between 255 to 305 mm and the tail length is 135 to 155 mm.

Four subspecies are reported (Pocock 1941) from India viz. M. sibirica subhemachalana Hodgson, 1837, M. sibirica moupiensis Meline-Edwards1868-1874, M. sibirica canigula Hodgson, 1842 and M. sibirica hodgsoni, Gray 1843.

Behaviour

The Siberian weasel lives in the temperate and alpine forests and in the open grass and scrub above the tree line (Prater 1971). In Europe it shows remarkable adaptation. It occurs in dense forests, in dry sandy valleys, and even in low-lying swamps. It makes its den among rocks, under roots of trees, in hollow stumps or logs, and quite often in the burrows of other animals. In human habitation they take shelter in roofs, creeks and crevices in walls, and in any secluded place. The Siberian weasel is mostly nocturnal but also hunts during daytime and is an efficient hunter. It preys upon rodents, lizards, birds and birds’ eggs and insects. The mating season for Siberian weasel is February to May depending on the region. The gestation period varies from 35 to 42 days. In captivity, however birth has occurred 28 days after mating. The litter size is 4 to 10 (Kruska 1990).

Conservation status

It is listed in Schedule II part II of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, Appendix III of CITES and LR nt during the CAMP Workshop.

| Introduction | Mustelids | Viverrids | Herpestids | 
| Conservation Significance | References |