New York State has many mammals that live in their forests, in edge forests and in urban areas.

The long-tailed weasel has a small head with long whiskers, a long body and neck and short legs. Its tail has a black tip. It has brown fur on the upper part of its body and white to yellow fur on its undersides. In the northern parts of its range, it turns white in the winter.

The long-tailed weasel is found in most of the United States, including New York State, except for parts of southeast California and Nevada and most of Arizona.It is also found in Canada, Mexico, and central and South America.

The long-tailed weasel lives in a wide-variety of habitats including woodlands, thickets, open areas and farmland. It usually lives near a water source.

A carnivore that eats 40 percent of it's body weight everyday due to a high metabolism rate. Most of its diet is made up of small mammals like mice, voles, rabbits, gophers and chipmunks. It will occasionally eat birds and insects. It crushes its prey's skull with its canines. It uses scent and sound to track its prey. Its long, thin body makes it easy for it to follow prey into burrows.

The long-tailed weasel mates in the summer, but the fertilized eggs don't begin to develop until about 27 days before the babies are born. The female gives birth in the spring. Most litters have between 4-8 young. The babies are born blind with a light covering of fur. Their eyes open and they are weaned when they are about 36 days old. The female brings them food when they are weaned and later takes them hunting. The babies leave their mother when they are between seven and eight weeks old.

The information is from "NatureWorks." (click here)