By: Jack Souther Date: December 28, 2001 A few towers up the
Wizard, on my way to early morning powder, I spotted a tiny
black dot moving mysteriously across the slope. Only when I was
directly over it could I make out the body of a small white
weasel which, except for the black tip of its tail, was almost
invisible against the snow. Though rarely seen, the short-tailed
weasel or ermine (Mustela erminea) ranges from the high Arctic
into the northern States. About 30 cm long and weighing from 2
to 5 ounces, it is the smallest true carnivore in the Whistler
area – about a tenth the size of its larger relative, the Pine
Marten, with whom it shares the local habitat. Males are about
twice as heavy as females, giving both sexes an advantage in
their respective reproductive roles – the larger, stronger males
in their competition for territory and mates, and the smaller
females in their vole-hunting and reduced food requirement when
raising young. Ermine are polygamous and promiscuous. They mate
in early summer but