Ermines begin to change fur color this winter

JACKSON, Wyo. — Buckrail photographer Nick Sulzer caught a glimpse of a ermine perched on a rock outside of Grand Teton National Park on Monday, Nov. 11.

Ermines, the smallest member of the mustelid family, are related to weasels, ferrets, badgers, otters, wolverines and stoats. The ermine can be distinguished by its changing coat color, which provides excellent camouflage in natural surroundings.

According to the National Park Service, these agile animals transform their fur color depending on the season. In the summer, their fur is light brown above and white below. In the winter, their coats will change to all-white, except for the tail which remains black-tipped all year long.

These little hunters can be super elusive when they prowl through willows and spruce forests in search of voles, shrews, deer mice, rabbits, rats, chipmunks, grasshoppers and frogs. They can climb trees, swim and move at a speed of approximately eight miles per hour. The quick ermine can cover up to 20 inches with each bound or leap, Teton Wild wrote on its website.

To survive the long winter, ermines will construct multiple dens and burrow their food underground.

According to Wyoming Untrapped, the species is quite rare and little is known about their distribution in Wyoming.