stoat

Everyday

1. A stoat is a small, fierce, meat-eating animal with a long thin body, short legs, brown fur and a black tip on its tail. tree →
2. In cold places a stoat's fur turns white in winter, except for the black tail tip; it is then called ermine. tree →

In the lessons

In nature lessons on British and Irish wildlife, stoats hunt rabbits much larger than themselves. In New Zealand stoats were brought in and became pests that kill native birds like kiwi, so they are trapped. In stories (Wind in the Willows) stoats and weasels are the baddies. Phrases: «stoat and weasel», «ermine fur».

Examples

• A stoat can kill a rabbit bigger than itself. tree →
• The stoat's fur turned white in winter, but its tail tip stayed black. tree →
• In New Zealand, stoats are pests that eat kiwi chicks. tree →
• Rangers set traps to protect native birds from stoats. tree →
• How to tell a stoat from a weasel: the stoat is bigger and has a black tail tip. tree →
• The stoat danced to confuse the rabbit. tree →
• In The Wind in the Willows, stoats and weasels take over Toad Hall. tree →

Note

Countable: a stoat, stoats. Similar: weasel (smaller, no black tail tip). «Ermine» is the white winter fur, once used on royal robes. Ireland has stoats but no weasels.