Mammals of the WorldAltai Mountain Weasel
Mustela altaica
- Order
- Carnivora
- Family
- Mustelidae
- Genus
- Mustela
- IUCN status
- NT
- Distribution
- Russia|Mongolia|China|Kazakhstan|Kyrgyzstan|Tajikistan|India|Nepal|Afghanistan?|North Korea?
- Realm
- Palearctic
Other names: Mountain Weasel|Pale Weasel|Altai Weasel
About this species
- Diet
- Mainly pikas and voles; also other small vertebrates and insects
- Habitat
- High-altitude rocky tundra and grassy woodland
- Range
- Central and eastern Asia, including Mongolia
- Litter size
- 1–8
- Gestation
- 30–49 days
The mountain weasel, Altai weasel, or solongoi is a small long-bodied mustelid with short legs and only slight size difference between the sexes. Its summer coat is grey to grey-brown washed with pale yellow, while winter fur becomes darker yellow-brown; the underside remains pale yellow to creamy white. The crown is often darker, the lips white, and the tail may be more reddish than the back. Seasonal moults occur in spring and autumn. The exact measurements shown in the consulted page were incomplete, so they are not reproduced. (Wikipedia, general species account)
The species inhabits high-altitude country, rocky tundra, and grassy woodland from Central Asia to Mongolia, northern China, and southern Siberia. It shelters in rock crevices, hollow trunks, and abandoned prey burrows. Mainly nocturnal but sometimes active by day, it climbs, runs, and swims and hunts pikas and voles, supplemented by ground squirrels, rabbits, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects. Mating usually occurs in February or March; after a 30–49-day gestation, one to eight dependent young are born, generally in May. (Wikipedia, general species account)
Description: Wildlife of Mongolia guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)