wild cat with what prey? (1 Viewer)

[candidpets]

http://yathin.com/trips/us/5/pointreyes/cat_weasel.jpg


what species of mustelid is this? says weasel but looks far to large. I have seen a feral cat recently with what looked like a stoat or long tail weasel it was pure white and trailed on the ground? If anyone wants to know where it was actually near the woods by Lees Ave. On a very very cold day.

I saw a stoat turn tables on a hawk I do not understand how cats are able to catch them so easy. I thought even foxes would avoid them.

 

[Sangahyando]

what species of mustelid is this? says weasel but looks far to large. I have seen a feral cat recently with what looked like a stoat or long tail weasel it was pure white and trailed on the ground? If anyone wants to know where it was actually near the woods by Lees Ave. On a very very cold day.

I assume this picture was taken in North America? Would be helpful to know (because I'm unfamiliar with the place name) so that we can rule out some candidates. I'm not entirely sure about the species either, however you have to take into account that Weasels vary quite a bit in size. Also, it is quite small, considering that the cat in this picture isn't actually a Wildcat, but a mere house cat, and it's still several times the size of that weasel thing.
That said, the yellow fur on the underside indicates Long-tailed Weasel, because I've never seen that particular hue in Stoat or (Least) Weasel.

I saw a stoat turn tables on a hawk I do not understand how cats are able to catch them so easy. I thought even foxes would avoid them.

Well, cats are famously agile creatures themselves (and, unlike most other terrestrial predators, they can make full use of their legs to help with containing and disabling prey), so I don't find it surprising at all that they're able to overpower smaller mustelids.

According to the sources I know (mostly Wikipedia or general literature, to be honest), foxes regularly prey on mustelids (including martens IIRC). I think the difference in physical strength that comes with the size difference is enough to be a deciding factor here.

 

[candidpets]

not sure where it was taken, does it look like an adult long tail weasel? i knew it wasnt a stoat! I am impressed i was able to at least figure that out lol

I have seen ferals with mink also, I did not think domestic cats were anywhere close agility wise to wild weasels, true wild cats might have come close. Just watching wild weasels they were so fast sometimes i honestly could not even see them out in the bush they moved so quick my head just spun it was almost as though we didn't even see anything.


I am guessing to catch it the cat must lay wait or trick the weasel into fighting it. Must be only the most skilled ones who know what they are doing. I think you are correct in some areas foxes do eat martens and weasels. I don't think they prey on them here. I think certain areas foxes that learned how to properly hunt them without injury do it.

i think when something like a cat or fox catches something fierce and fiesty like a small mink or weasel they must just hang on to the throat and put their weight into it, the cat with the mink was kind of chubby

 

[candidpets]

I don't thinnk feral animals cause problems here in my country if someone starts to feed a colony coyotes and coywolves quickly move in kill them all and then they will start to eat the food put out for the ferals. They also eat the rats and will jump fences to get any small pets like dogs. They are not culled in the city or near the city ever. The population has grown massive recently. I mean i guess it causes balance it is what people asked for, they wanted song bird and garden protection? they got it. lol Kinda shockiing to such a large animal lives around houses in such high population, they need a lot of meat to survive. cats, dogs, rabbits, rats, my garbage, canada geese, ducks is what they eat. They dont mess with deer much unless it is winter and they can find deer trapped in snow. They are at least 50 pounds or so not the small western ones. There is a lot of myth about them but they are not the scary monsters people make them out to be unless you start feeding them. They did bite a woman here near me in her driveway. Id rather be attacked by one than a police dog or a rottie.

 

[gandytron]

This video of a domestic cat & domestic (!) stoat shows how easily a cat can deal with a mustelid. The dexterity of a cats paws (as mentioned on post #2 above) give it a huge advantage over other animals when dealing with a potential stoat/weasel attack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3lRWO8Ktq0

 

[Gretchen]

Nice link - it gives me a better idea how the mustelid actually moves in an attack. It is incredibly agile, compared to the cat, which is quick too.

 

[candidpets]

yeah i don't think the stoats classic head bite works on animals with thicker skulls more muscle around the head thicker skin like a fox or cat.

I remmeber finding dead soats around the farm we never knew who was doing it, thought maybe just the red tail that hangs out, or an owl, untl cat puked up a tail.

I have read that they do kill possems.

 

[Boro Birder]

There is a pic on Facebook of a stoat on a Green Woodpeckers back in flight, will try and post pics, never seen nothing like it in my life.
It (stoat) must of pounced on the GW and its just took off, absolutely crazy

Damian

 

[aeshna5]

There is a pic on Facebook of a stoat on a Green Woodpeckers back in flight, will try and post pics, never seen nothing like it in my life.
It (stoat) must of pounced on the GW and its just took off, absolutely crazy

Damian

It's not a Stoat, but a Weasel.

 

[candidpets]

I have seen them do some crazy things like that to birds who flew off with them

also mink did that to a young gannet who flew off a cliff with it i think on its back?



Yeah it is a tiny weasel. On the woodpecker. I think weasels are more found out in the wild not so close to human habitation than stoats and long tail weasels. Here in north america seems stoats and long tails are found much closer. Do you guys find the same for UK ? Weasels here are usually found in isolated areas far from people. Stoats are often close to farms and come in conflict with cats. I think a lot of kills might just be territorial kills rather than predation. Because I read cats hardly bother killing adult full grown rats because its just not worth the effort but they for sure do it sometimes. I have seen dogs fail miserably, hunting dogs at trying to catch stoats. Getting their noses bitten in the process. I have read stoats even kill adult wild turkey? Maybe things in NZ aren't so bad at least their predators cancel each other out. Dogs kill everything. Cats kill stoats, mice, possums and rats. Stoats kill rats and possums. Rats kill mice.

I wonder what hawks predate on stoats and long tail weasel? Red tails do for sure. I don't think falcons ever bother them though. I know falcons are afraid of cats when on the ground, they will just leave their prey.