Their range now in­cludes Hokkaido and the many of the Ryukyu Islands. One theory is that the weasel’s wacky twisting, hopping, and darting around distracts, confuses, or even hypnotizes prey animals. In the Native American tradition, the weasel has the medicine for seeking out secrets. Anywhere prey can go, the weasel can follow. Although their populations are in slight decline, Japanese weasels are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List because of their widespread population across Japan. Trust your own senses in regard to other people, and you will come out all right, even if it means going alone. Despite their fast and dexterous nature, the small size of Weasels means that they are preyed upon by a number of different predators throughout their natural range. Major habitats are plains, but in western Japan it mainly lives in mountainous areas. They can be found all across the world except for Antarctica, Australia, and neighbouring islands. In Greek culture, a weasel near one’s house is a sign of bad luck, even evil, “especially if there is in the After catch­ing and eat­ing the prey, Japan­ese weasels usually enjoy the warmth of the prey's nest after eat­ing. They eat small mammals (like mice, squirrels, lemmings, rabbits, and hares), birds, frogs, lizards, insects, carrion (dead meat that they find). Their fur is orange-brown with darker markings on the head. They are sexually mature before they are a year old and give birth to four to five offspring. [2], The mating season is from early May to late June. It takes 8 weeks to fully be weaned and live by themselves. In Japan, weasels were seen as yōkai(ghost, phantom), from time immemorial, and they cause various strange occurrences. Females in this species are smaller than males. Many weasels grow white fur in the winter, but the tip of the tail remains black. * Description: Japanese weasels are fairly small mammals in the mustelid family (a large family of animals that includes otters, badgers, stoats, polecats, martens and skunks). In neighboring Macedonia, however, weasels are generally seen as an omen of good fortune. Their diet changes depending on the season, the number of some foods. The English word “weasel” was originally applied to one species of the genus, the European form of the least weasel. The tip of the tail is often black. Weasels are active in both winter and summer; they do not hibernate. Weasels have a lifespan of up to 2 – 3 years in the wild, up to 10 years in captivity. In neighboring Macedonia, however, weasels are generally seen as an omen of good fortune. Depending on the climate and season, they may display nocturnal or diurnal behavior. Adult males of the Japanese weasel can reach 35 centimetres (14 inches) in body length with a tail length of up to 17 centimetres (6.7 inches). Weasels have brown to yellow-brown fur with paler fur on the belly. They sometimes eat berries, seeds and fruits but only when hungry. Trust your own senses in regard to other people, and you will come out all right, even if it means going alone. The Japanese weasel was na­tive to three of Japan’s four larger is­lands: Hon­shu, Kyushu, and Shikoku. Japanese weasels are sexually dimorphic with the males weighing approximately three times that of females. The least weasel is the world’s smallest mammalian carnivore. This is part of what weasel teaches. Most species have a single litter per year. Weasels are small, nimble mammals of the genus Mustela of the family Mustelidae. The main threat to Japanese weasels is habitat loss because of residential and commercial development. Home range sizes vary with habitat, population density, season, sex, food availability, and species. Interesting facts about common seadragons, Interesting facts about Lake of the Ozarks, Interesting facts about the Mojave Desert. Male weasels mate with multiple females and do not provide parental care. Females are smaller. Both sexes are capable of creating a smelly excretion known as muskfrom an anal gland used to repel predators which is employed by rubbing this secretion on rocks, branches and other natural obstacles. In the Native American tradition, the weasel has the medicine for seeking out secrets. They do not like other Japanese weasels entering their home range and will defend their home range. Young Weasels develop remarkably quickly and are not only weaned by the time they are two months old, but are also able to hunt small prey and will leave their mother within the next few weeks to establish a territory of their own.