Indonesian Mountain Weasel - Profile | Traits | Facts

(Last Updated On: March 21, 2021)

The Indonesian mountain weasel, scientific name Mustela lutreolina is a species of weasel that lives in the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia at elevations over 1,000 meters (3,280 ft).

They stay in mountainous, tropical, and rainforest areas. Indonesian mountain weasels have a body size of 11–12 inches and a tail size of 5–6 inches. They are reddish-brown in shade.

The Indonesian mountain weasel is endangered attributable to looking, fur commerce, and destruction of habitat. There are not any acknowledged subspecies of the Indonesian mountain weasel.

Geographic Range

Indonesian mountain weasels are solely discovered on the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. Indonesian mountain weasels are island endemic and native to the Oriental biogeographic region. More surveys need to be performed in these areas to find out their precise distribution and residential ranges.

Indonesian Mountain Weasel Habitat

Indonesian mountain weasels, as their names suggest, stay within the tropical rainforest mountainous areas of Indonesia. However, little or no is understood about their most well-liked habitat situations apart from their choice for higher elevations.

It is believed that their elevation ranges from 1,000 m to 2,200 m, however little is understood of how they operate at excessive elevations or if they will stay exterior of their range.

According to the IUCN, there is solely 15 identified specimens of the Indonesian mountain weasel, and of these solely 12 have a locality. More surveys and analyses are required to find out habitat range and choice.

Behavior

Very little is understood concerning the behavior of the Indonesian mountain weasel. Other weasels are typically solitary and nocturnal solely interacting for breeding or over territory disputes.

Indonesian Mountain Weasel Descriptions

Weasels differ in size from 173 to 217 mm (6 3⁄four to eight 1⁄2 in), females being smaller than the males, and normally have red or brown higher coats and white bellies; some populations of some species molt to an entirely white coat in winter.

They have long, slender bodies, which allow them to observe their prey into burrows. Their tails could also be from 34 to 52 mm (1 1⁄four to 2 in) long.

The Indonesian mountain weasel as a weasel has very particular traits that every one of their genus share. Weasels have long, slender bodies with quick legs. This body design permits them to enter anyplace wherein they will stick their heads.

A long slender body has prices; whereas their metabolic fee tends to be much like different mammals of the identical size, they have a tendency to lose warmth a lot sooner attributable to their form.

The Indonesian mountain weasel tends to be between 279 m and 321 m from head to the bottom of the tail. The tail is about 136 mm to 170 mm long.

There may be very little information particularly on the Indonesian mountain weasel, nonetheless, we all know that they’ve reddish-brown fur and a foramen on their skull by which they are often recognized.

This foramen is positioned “in the medial part of the auditory bullae, mid-way along the anterior-posterior axis, at the point where the bullae attach to the skull”

Communication

As with different weasel species, Indonesian mountain weasels will talk primarily with odors and secondarily with “clicks” or different auditory noises.

Food Habits

Weasels are fully carnivorous and the Indianian mountain weasel is not completely different. They are particularly tailored to consuming rodents; their agility and velocity permit them to take down prey a lot bigger than themselves.

They are additionally excellent at eradicating rodents from their burrows. Some species of weasels are identified to remain at one prey den till they’ve fully eradicated all the inhabitants.

Diet

Weasels feed on small mammals and have sometimes been thought of as vermin as a result of some species took poultry from farms or rabbits from business warrens.

They do, however, eat massive numbers of rodents. They may be discovered all internationally apart from Africa (exterior Egypt), the Middle East, the Indian Subcontinent, Australia, the Caribbean, Antarctica, and the neighboring islands.

Reproduction

Indonesian mountain weasels attain sexual maturity at one year. Their breeding season is believed to be between March and May. They have a gestation interval of about 30 days.

The younger ones are born blind and with little or no fur. At the age of 1 month, the pup’s eyes open. At the age of two months, they are going to be weaned.

Lifespan/Longevity

Little is understood about how long Indonesian mountain weasels stay, however, some recommend between 7 to 10 years of age.

Nor do they identified concerning the lifespan of Indonesian mountain weasels in captivity. However, different species of weasels stay as much as 20 years within the wild and do very effectively in captivity.

Indonesian Mountain Weasel Predation

Indonesian mountain weasels don’t have any identified predators, apart from people. It is believed that attributable to their fierce nature, it might not be price a predator’s effort to try to eat them.

It is believed that some weasel species are eaten by foxes. While there are not any foxes in Indonesia it’s possible a number of the different carnivores is likely to be a menace to Indonesian mountain weasels.

Indonesian Mountain Weasel Reproduction

As a member of the badgers, otters, and weasels family, Indonesian Mountain weasels have a polygynous mating system wherein the males will combat for entry to a feminine.

It is famous that these fights may be extraordinarily vicious. Weasels are solitary creatures and the mating season is usually the one time adults will work together with each other.

This kind of behavior is known as a solitary-territorial mating system. The specifics of Indonesian mountain weasel mating habits are unknown.

Indonesian mountain weasels grow to be sexually mature at a few years of age. Their breeding season is believed to be between March and May, adopted by a gestation interval of roughly 30 days.

Indonesian mountain weasels, like different weasels, give start to altricial younger. This signifies that the younger are born with their eyes shut and with little or no fur.

The pups rely solely on their mom for care. It takes a few months for pups’ eyes to totally open, and one other month after which they may grow to be absolutely weaned.

For weasels, care of younger fall on the mom alone. Even although the younger are altricial, they’re absolutely weaned after 2 months and depart their mom. However, the litter tends to choose to stay collectively till Autumn.

Conservation

Indonesian mountain weasels are endangered as a result of they’re endemic to a really small space and since they’re very poorly identified. They are among the many rarest of the weasel family and face points with habitat fragmentation. Habitat fragmentation has a really robust correlation with declines in weasel abundance.

Indonesian Mountain Weasel – Profile | Traits | Facts | Diet