Least weasel
Least weasel Temporal range: Late Pleistocene–Recent Least weasel at the British Wildlife Centre, Surrey, England Conservation status Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) [1] Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Mustelidae Genus: Mustela Species: M. nivalis Binomial name Mustela nivalis Linnaeus, 1766 Global range of M. nivalis The least weasel ( Mustela nivalis ), or simply weasel in the UK [2] and much of the world, is the smallest member of the genus Mustela, family Mustelidae and order Carnivora. [3] [4] It is native to Eurasia, North America and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Malta, Crete, Bermuda, Madeira Island, the Azores, the Canary Islands, Sao Tome, the Falkland Islands, Argentina and Chile. [5] 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 greatl...