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Animal Age

How old does a Least weasel get? (age expectancy)

What is the maximal age a Least weasel reaches?

An adult Least weasel (Mustela nivalis) usually gets as old as 10 years.

Least weasels are around 36 days in the womb of their mother. When born, they weight 2 grams (0 lbs) and measure 5 cm (0′ 2″). As a member of the Mustelidae family (genus: Mustela), a Least weasel caries out around 5 little ones per pregnancy, which happens around 1 times a year. Fully grown, they reach a bodylength of 18.9 cm (0′ 8″).

As a reference: Usually, humans get as old as 100 years, with the average being around 75 years. After being carried in the belly of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks), they grow to an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) and weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual.

A Least weasel gets as old as 10 years

The least weasel (Mustela nivalis), little weasel, common weasel, or simply weasel in the UK and much of the world, is the smallest member of the genus Mustela, family Mustelidae and order Carnivora. It is native to Eurasia, North America and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Malta, Crete, Bermuda, Madeira Island, the Azores, the Canary Islands, São Tomé, the Falkland Islands, Argentina and Chile. It is classified as least concern by the IUCN, due to its wide distribution and large population throughout the Northern Hemisphere.Least weasels from various parts of its range vary greatly in size. The body is slender and elongated, the legs and tail are relatively short. The colour varies geographically, as does the pelage type and length of tail. The dorsal surface, flanks, limbs and tail of the animal are usually some shade of brown while the underparts are white. The line delineating the boundary between the two colours is usually straight. At high altitudes and in the northern part of its range, the coat becomes pure white in winter. Eighteen subspecies are recognised.Small rodents form the largest part of the least weasel’s diet, but it also kills and eats rabbits, other mammals, and occasionally birds, birds’ eggs, fish and frogs. Males mark their territories with olfactory signals and have exclusive home ranges which may intersect with or include several female ranges. Least weasels use pre-existing holes to sleep, store food and raise their young. Breeding takes place in the spring and summer, and there is a single litter of about six kits which are reared exclusively by the female. Due to its small size and fierce nature, the least weasel plays an important part in the mythology and legend of various cultures.

Animals of the same family as a Least weasel

Not really brothers and sisters, but from the same biological family (Mustelidae):

Animals that reach the same age as Least weasel

With an average age of 10 years, Least weasel are in good companionship of the following animals:

Animals with the same number of babies Least weasel

The same number of babies at once (5) are born by:

Weighting as much as Least weasel

A fully grown Least weasel reaches around 79 grams (0.17 lbs). So do these animals:

Animals as big as a Least weasel

Those animals grow as big as a Least weasel: