Much of its time was spent in this tall, upright position. What a long, lean animal! Wow, just noticed that this made Explore #4 today, 28th December 2006!! Thanks everyone - very much appreciated!
"Counting its tail, a large Long-tailed Weasel male, the largest of the three species in Canada, stretches nearly half a metre (20 in) in length, yet can slip into a hole just 3 cm (1.25 in) across. This enables it to enter small rodent tunnels used by mice and voles. In summer, it enters ground squirrels burrows in search of its favourite food. Average males measure 406 mm (16 in), their tail is 135 mm (5.25) long and they weigh 225 g (12.6 oz). Males are approximately 25 per cent larger than females, which on average weigh only 102 g (5.7 oz).
When winter approaches, within 30 days it grows a coat of white, giving it perfect camouflage against the snow -- all except for the tip of its tail, which stays black. A hungry predator, such as a hawk or owl, aims for that black tip, enabling the weasel to escape. Towards spring, between late February and April, in only 25 days, it reverses the process, acquiring the cinnamon-brown topcoat it will use all summer. This includes brown feet, unlike the other two species which retain white feet. The underside is usually buff-coloured." (Taken from the weaselhead.org website).
Tags: Calgary Alberta Canada wildlife Long-tailed Weasel animalkingdomelite SpecAnimal BRAVO SpecAnimal: Photo Of The Day ImpressedBeauty Mustela frenata SUPREMEANIMALPHOTO interestingness#4 explore2006Dec28 FrHwoFavs specnature BFGreatestHits NGI - National Geographic - by Italian People AR1 NaturesFinest Fish Creek Park Sikome/Hull's Wood fauna wild white standing tall fur winter coat winter seasons annkelliott © Anne Elliott 2009 © All Rights Reserved SuperShot #animal
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Snowy Owl female and owlet at the Calgary Zoo. This is a cropped version of a photo similar to one I posted a while ago. So "ugly", it's cute!
Tags: Calgary Alberta Canada Calgary Zoo bird Snowy Owl owlet ABigFave BRAVO AnimalPlanet UltimateShot i500 interestingness#76 explore2007March5 Field Guide To The Owls Of The World Mom-TNCO7 flickrdiamond DiamondClassPhotographer AnimalKingdomElite annkelliott
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This guy landed on a log quite close to me this afternoon, posed, and gave me the chance to finally get a reasonable photo of a Hairy Woodpecker. Out of luck with the little Downy Woodpecker - maybe next time? Happy Feathery Friday, everyone! (Note to self: I used a horizontal version of this image for my 2008 calendar).
Tags: Calgary Alberta Canada wildlife birds Hairy Woodpecker Animal Planet Explore AnimalKingdomElite Picoides villosus SpecAnimal specnature i500 interestingness#414 explore2006Nov19 FeatheryFriday perched log park outdoors feathers close-up wild Fish Creek Park Sikome Birdshare Excellence AvianExcellence SuperShot
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I happened to be looking at my Long-tailed Weasel photos yesterday and came across this one that I didn't post before, because the Weasel is rather blurry, though the fence post is nice and sharp : ). However, photos of these little guys are not all that common, so thought I'd post it anyway. It is somewhat similar to my most popular/most Interesting photo on Flickr. "Curious" is the word to describe a Long-tailed Weasel! Note the black tip to the tail. Saw this little guy/gal in a local park on 26th December 2006 - the best Christmas present I could have received!
Tags: Calgary Alberta Canada Fish Creek Park Sikome nature animal wild animal Weasel Long-tailed Weasel white winter coat Canon S3IS IMG_4304 annkelliott AnimalPlanet SuperShot animalkingdomelite FlickrDiamond DiamondClassPhotographer Explore interestingness#95 explore2008March26 i500 cute
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I'm not sure whose eyes were bigger and rounder when we first found ourselves staring at each other! Magical!
Tags: Calgary Alberta Canada nature birds Long-eared Owl Explore Asio otus SpecAnimal Animal Planet i500 interestingness#70 explore2006Jan5 IMG_1002740
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