Stoat or weasel?
How to tell them apart
Stoats and weasels are close relatives in the same genus; the least weasel is the smaller of the two.
Quick answers
They give the same 8 quick answers, so in the game it comes down to the clues below.
| Question | Stoat | Weasel |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Mammal | Mammal |
| Carnivore? | Yes | Yes |
| Dangerous? | No | No |
| Domesticated? | No | No |
| Awake when? | Day & night | Day & night |
| Hibernates? | No | No |
| Kept as a pet? | No | No |
| Do people eat it? | No | No |
At a glance
| Question | Stoat | Weasel |
|---|---|---|
| Found in differs | Europe, Asia, North America, New Zealand | Europe, Asia, North America |
| Habitat differs | – | Grassland, Farmland, Forest |
| Size | Tiny | Tiny |
| Length differs | Males 19–33 cm, females 17–27 cm (body) | 17.3–21.7 cm (least weasel) |
| Weight differs | Males about 258 g, females under 180 g | 30–100 g (least weasel) |
| Legs | 4 | 4 |
| Covered in | Fur | Fur |
| Lives | Alone | Alone |
| Lives for differs | 4–7 years | 2–3 years |
| Can fly | No | No |
| Swims | Yes | Yes |
| Lays eggs | No | No |
About each
Stoat
A small, long-bodied hunter of Eurasia and the northern parts of North America. Its pure white winter coat is called ermine, a fur worn by monarchs and long used on the ceremonial robes of the UK House of Lords.
Weasel
Small, fast predators with long, slender bodies and short legs, in the same genus as stoats, polecats and ferrets. In Britain “weasel” means the least weasel, the smallest carnivore of all.
Sources
Last reviewed . The answers and notes come from each animal's own page, where every source is listed.
How each answer is decided: How we answer. More look-alikes: Side by side.